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

😐 Solo nomad: Apia is 17.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 22.2% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Apia is 40.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 34.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$53.0 WST 142
$11.85 MX$211
346.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.29 WST 97.6
$42.16 MX$750
-13.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.57 WST 36.50
$10.75 MX$191
26.23%
Cappuccino
$2.52 WST 6.78
$3.47 MX$61.8
-27.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 WST 5.64
$1.45 MX$25.85
44.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 WST 3.40
$0.90 MX$16.06
41.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.37 WST 11.75
$3.05 MX$54.3
43.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.45 WST 9.27
$4.42 MX$78.6
-21.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 WST 4.77
$1.37 MX$24.36
29.20%
White Bread (500g)
$0.83 WST 2.25
$1.87 MX$33.31
-55.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 WST 4.92
$1.54 MX$27.46
18.83%
Eggs
$4.13 WST 11.10
$2.50 MX$44.53
65.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$0.87 WST 2.34
$8.61 MX$153
-89.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.61 WST 9.71
$8.63 MX$154
-58.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.99 WST 21.50
$11.02 MX$196
-27.50%
Apples (1kg)
$5.10 WST 13.72
$2.75 MX$48.91
85.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 WST 4.70
$1.43 MX$25.41
22.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.74 WST 4.68
$1.87 MX$33.32
-6.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.36 WST 11.72
$2.17 MX$38.56
100.92%
Potato (1kg)
$3.53 WST 9.51
$1.88 MX$33.50
87.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.09 WST 2.94
$2.25 MX$39.96
-51.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
-
$1.07 MX$18.99
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 WST 3.09
$1.07 MX$19.10
7.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.16 WST 16.58
$4.15 MX$73.9
48.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.82 WST 45.26
$10.34 MX$184
62.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.84 WST 4.94
$1.68 MX$29.87
9.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.59 WST 9.65
$2.48 MX$44.19
44.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.59 WST 9.66
$0.55 MX$9.87
552.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.53 MX$472
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.27 WST 14.19
$3.22 MX$57.2
63.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.48 MX$44.15
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.40 WST 57.6
$3.11 MX$55.3
588.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.04 WST 2.81
$1.26 MX$22.34
-17.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$30.7K MX$545.4K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$24.0K MX$427.6K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$17.87 WST 48.08
$82.5 MX$1,467
-78.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.82 WST 47.93
$22.29 MX$396
-20.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.63 WST 95.9
$30.02 MX$534
18.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$51.4 MX$915
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.29 MX$325
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$4.98 MX$88.7
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$200 MX$3,558
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,304 MX$94.4K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.58 WST 133
$35.71 MX$635
38.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.12 WST 108
$39.56 MX$704
1.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.3 WST 203
$80.6 MX$1,433
-6.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 WST 271
$88.3 MX$1,571
13.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$969 MX$17.2K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$482 MX$8,579
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,595 MX$28.4K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,804 WST 4,854
$1,184 MX$21.1K
52.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,050 MX$72.1K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,522 MX$116.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Apia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$756 MX$13.5K
-
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities