Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alabang and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Alabang: $720 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Alabang
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Alabang Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Alabang

🇵🇭 Philippines

$720

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alabang and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alabang and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $720 per month in Alabang vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Alabang $720
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,092 per month in Alabang vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Alabang $1,092
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,464 per month in Alabang vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Alabang $1,464
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Alabang is about 40% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alabang and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Alabang 47% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 ₱246

$10.67 MX$199

-63.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.83 ₱1,197

$43.80 MX$815

-57.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.79 ₱177

$11.79 MX$219

-76.34%

Cappuccino

$2.32 ₱147

$3.79 MX$70.5

-38.79%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.82

$1.30 MX$24.14

-48.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.39

$0.83 MX$15.51

-63.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.95 ₱60.6

$3.15 MX$58.6

-69.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₱118

$4.93 MX$91.8

-62.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₱101

$1.41 MX$26.22

12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱69.8

$2.20 MX$40.86

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ₱52.8

$1.47 MX$27.40

-43.54%

Eggs

$1.72 ₱109

$2.50 MX$46.47

-31.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.62 ₱294

$7.29 MX$136

-36.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ₱210

$7.95 MX$148

-58.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.75 ₱429

$12.86 MX$239

-47.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ₱142

$2.90 MX$53.9

-22.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱88.4

$1.38 MX$25.74

0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱144

$2.49 MX$46.36

-9.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.9

$2.03 MX$37.78

-50.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 ₱105

$2.02 MX$37.69

-17.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 ₱111

$1.90 MX$35.42

-7.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 ₱60.6

$1.14 MX$21.30

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.05

$1.24 MX$23.06

-60.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ₱178

$4.27 MX$79.5

-34.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.27 ₱463

$9.81 MX$183

-25.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₱56.5

$1.59 MX$29.51

-44.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱109

$2.75 MX$51.1

-37.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.93

$0.51 MX$9.58

-56.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.57 ₱799

$27.39 MX$510

-54.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.3

$4.76 MX$88.6

-82.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.70

$3.25 MX$60.5

-93.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱123

$5.39 MX$100

-64.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ₱74.5

$1.53 MX$28.44

-23.53%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

-2.40%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

-18.85%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$139 ₱8,833

$83.5 MX$1,554

66.39%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$14.44 ₱918

$23.19 MX$431

-37.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.38 ₱1,486

$27.61 MX$514

-15.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.13 ₱1,979

$56.4 MX$1,050

-44.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.23 ₱333

$28.19 MX$525

-81.45%

Cinema Ticket

$5.17 ₱329

$5.00 MX$93.1

3.40%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$71.2 ₱4,529

$207 MX$3,854

-65.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,475 ₱157.3K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

-52.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.21 ₱1,794

$43.45 MX$809

-35.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.28 ₱1,226

$42.54 MX$792

-54.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 ₱4,469

$72.8 MX$1,354

-3.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.0 ₱3,496

$88.4 MX$1,645

-37.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 ₱13.7K

$995 MX$18.5K

-78.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 ₱10.7K

$382 MX$7,116

-56.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 ₱31.5K

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-70.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 ₱22.2K

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-67.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,641 ₱167.9K

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-32.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,103 ₱70.1K

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-82.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.45

-41.05%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Alabang: October 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alabang

$177 24.5%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 24% $42

Accommodation & Living

Alabang

$168 23.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 128% $215

Groceries & Markets

Alabang

$162 22.5%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 59.1% $96

Eating Out

Alabang

$80 11%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 152% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Alabang

$78 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 43% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Alabang

$41 5.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 60.2% $25

Getting Around

Alabang

$15 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 231% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Alabang versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Alabang versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $162 vs $257 – making Alabang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Alabang

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

12:51 12:51 PM

13 h behind Alabang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,075

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Alabang Playa del Carmen 15,050 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Alabang
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Alabang vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,080 per month in Alabang and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alabang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $215 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Alabang and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Alabang, where all-in costs run around $720, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Alabang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Alabang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Alabang is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 40% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.