There are numerous banks on the square and in other parts of the town that will change foreign currency and traveler’s checks. In addition, there are "Casa de Cambios" (house of changers) in several locations on the square that are open all day long and into the night. You need to keep an eye out for a service charge and be sure to count your change but quite often, the money changers will give a slightly better than bank rate during banking hours but a less attractive rate when the banks are closed.

Depending on the transaction fee your bank may impose, the best way to get pesos in Cozumel is to make a withdrawal at an ATM machine. Virtually every bank and the larger supermarkets like Chedraui and San Francisco have them. Directions are in English and the exchange rate official. Some machines will even have an option for withdrawing U.S. currency. The fee from the Mexican bank providing the service is usually no more than $1.50 per transaction. One way of reducing the impact of the transaction fee is to withdraw as much as much money as possible whenever you access a machine. If you select the "other amount" option, most ATMs in Mexico will allow you to withdraw at least $3000 pesos and some will go as high as $5000.

Another option if you run low on cash during your stay and you have an American Express card: the local AMEX office on 11th will take a personal check as payment for traveler's checks.

The nearest full service U.S. Embassy office to Cozumel is the U.S. Consulate in Mérida. The Principal Officer there is David Ramos. Telephone (from Cozumel): 01 (999) 925-5011 or Fax 01 (999) 925-6219.

Other consulate representatives in Cancun (to dial from Cozumel or long distance from other parts of Mexico):

Canada 01 (998) 883-3360
France 01 (998) 884-6078
Italy 01 (998) 883-2184
Spain 01 (998) 884-1895
U.S. 01 (998) 883-0272.

Click here for a link to the U.S. Embassy page for Services for U.S. Citizens in Mexico.

British Embassy in Mexico City: 01 (555) 242-8500.

Canadian Embassy in Mexico City: 01 (555) 724-7900

Click here for a more complete list of other consulates in Mexico.

Another option for calling home is a line of credit card pay phones at the Telemex office on the corner of Ave 5 & Rosado Sallas. You should first buy a pre-paid Lada telephone card, which are widely available. These cards will work for both local and international calls.

To direct dial to the U.S. dial 011 then the area code and number without dialing 1 before the area code.

You can access a domestic AT&T U.S. operator toll free by dialing 01 (800) 288-8772.

If you’re going to be staying in Cozumel for a while and feel you need to sign up for internet service, you can get it from Compucentro on Calle 11 between Ave 5 & 10.

There are also a number of Internet Cafés all over Cozumel. Usually, the further you get from the waterfront, the better the price is so if you're looking for a deal, look first on Ave. 30. It won't be hard to find one. In town you can look for:

Coffee.Net on the waterfront at the corner of Calle 11.

CyberCafe Cozumel Calle 7 sur No. 14 between R.E.Melgar and Ave. 5a. Telephone 87 23179 or Fax 87 23879

C@fe Internet at the back of the square across from Tres Hermanos shoe store, near Ave 10 and Calle 1.

Diamond Internet (ISP & Internet Cafe) is on Avenue 10 between Calles 6 and 8.

For access in other cities, click here for the Mexico Internet Cafe Guide.