Cost of Living Comparison Between Apia and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Apia and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Apia is 18.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 22.8% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Apia is 59.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 35.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$53 WST 146
$11.99 MX$227
341.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.55 WST 97.6
$42.47 MX$803
-16.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.91 WST 38.19
$10.47 MX$198
32.86%
Cappuccino
$2.41 WST 6.63
$3.6 MX$68.2
-33.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 WST 5.75
$1.44 MX$27.16
45.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 WST 3.45
$0.89 MX$16.79
41.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.36 WST 11.97
$3.09 MX$58.5
41.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 WST 9.81
$4.58 MX$86.6
-22.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.83 WST 5.02
$1.38 MX$26.04
32.61%
White Bread (500g)
$0.84 WST 2.3
$1.85 MX$34.9
-54.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 WST 5.03
$1.57 MX$29.68
16.56%
Eggs
$4.08 WST 11.21
$2.55 MX$48.3
60.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$0.93 WST 2.57
$8.61 MX$163
-89.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.63 WST 9.97
$8.54 MX$161
-57.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.3 WST 22.79
$10.98 MX$208
-24.41%
Apples (1kg)
$5.14 WST 14.11
$2.72 MX$51.4
88.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.77 WST 4.85
$1.51 MX$28.57
17.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 WST 4.88
$1.88 MX$35.63
-5.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.21 WST 11.56
$2.19 MX$41.42
92.24%
Potato (1kg)
$3.48 WST 9.55
$1.87 MX$35.3
86.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.1 WST 3.01
$2.19 MX$41.37
-49.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
-
$1.07 MX$20.23
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.17 WST 3.21
$1.09 MX$20.64
7.34%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.16 WST 16.93
$3.96 MX$74.9
55.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.12 WST 44.28
$8.86 MX$167
81.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 WST 5.01
$1.72 MX$32.53
5.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.5 WST 9.62
$2.61 MX$49.37
34.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.68 WST 10.1
$0.52 MX$9.74
607.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 WST 14.81
$3.24 MX$61.2
66.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.38 MX$44.94
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.02 WST 57.7
$3.11 MX$58.7
575.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.04 WST 2.86
$1.31 MX$24.85
-20.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$30.3K MX$573K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$24K MX$453.6K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$18 WST 49.44
$84.2 MX$1,592
-78.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.2 WST 49.98
$22.14 MX$419
-17.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.15 WST 96.5
$30.14 MX$570
16.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$52 MX$983
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.72 MX$354
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$5.07 MX$95.9
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$200 MX$3,787
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.1 WST 135
$35.74 MX$676
37.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.96 WST 110
$39.8 MX$753
0.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.8 WST 203
$79 MX$1,493
-6.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102 WST 279
$88.4 MX$1,671
15.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$965 MX$18.3K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$474 MX$8,968
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,829 WST 5,022
$1,202 MX$22.7K
52.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$792 MX$15K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
11.42
-

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

Last update for Apia: October 27, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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