Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Apia and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Apia: $853 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Apia

🇼🇸 Samoa

$853

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Apia 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 Apia and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $853 in Apia versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Apia $853
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,282 in Apia versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Apia $2,282
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,711 in Apia versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Apia $3,711
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Apia costs roughly 29% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Apia 37% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$47.10 WST 130

$10.92 MX$204

331.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.32 WST 100

$43.37 MX$810

-16.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.46 WST 39.98

$11.78 MX$220

22.75%

Cappuccino

$2.87 WST 7.92

$3.81 MX$71.2

-24.67%

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

$1.77 WST 4.89

$1.28 MX$23.96

38.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 WST 3.67

$0.78 MX$14.63

70.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 WST 9.49

$3.17 MX$59.2

8.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 WST 9.95

$4.93 MX$92.2

-26.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 WST 5.08

$1.41 MX$26.28

30.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 WST 2.31

$2.22 MX$41.43

-62.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 WST 4.99

$1.42 MX$26.48

26.76%

Eggs

$4.39 WST 12.15

$2.52 MX$47.14

74.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$0.94 WST 2.60

$7.26 MX$136

-87.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 WST 10.11

$7.70 MX$144

-52.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.34 WST 23.06

$12.69 MX$237

-34.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 WST 13.79

$2.78 MX$52.0

79.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 WST 5.13

$1.37 MX$25.56

35.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 WST 5.10

$2.55 MX$47.66

-27.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 WST 12.38

$2.12 MX$39.67

111.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 WST 9.79

$1.94 MX$36.22

82.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 WST 3.04

$1.89 MX$35.24

-41.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 WST 3.35

$1.18 MX$22.03

2.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 WST 17.58

$4.30 MX$80.3

47.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 WST 45.04

$9.95 MX$186

63.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 WST 5.08

$1.58 MX$29.59

16.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 WST 10.18

$2.67 MX$49.91

37.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.70 WST 10.24

$0.55 MX$10.34

572.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 WST 15.20

$4.97 MX$92.9

10.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.55 WST 15.36

$3.33 MX$62.2

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.64 WST 59.8

$5.36 MX$100

303.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 WST 2.98

$1.44 MX$26.98

-25.00%

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

$20.7K MX$386.2K

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

$23.5K MX$438.5K

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

$18.50 WST 51.2

$84.8 MX$1,584

-78.18%

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

$18.38 WST 50.8

$23.41 MX$437

-21.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.62 WST 101

$28.66 MX$535

27.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.0

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

$207 MX$3,860

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$810

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$774

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,386

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,668

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 WST 4,805

$1,075 MX$20.1K

61.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Apia: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Apia

–

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Groceries & Markets

Apia

–

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Eating Out

Apia

–

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Apia

–

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Apia

–

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Apia

–

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Getting Around

Apia

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $36 in Apia vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $240 vs $255 per month, with Apia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇼🇸 Apia

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

09:06 9:06 AM

18 h behind Apia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,000 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Samoan Tala WST T

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 WST = 0.362 USD

1 WST = 0.325 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to WST – Samoan Tala Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇼🇸 Samoan Tala (T)

Samoan Tala exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.77 WST (1 WST = 0.362 USD). 1 EUR = 3.08 WST (1 WST = 0.325 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to WST in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Apia Playa del Carmen 10,010 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Apia
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

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

Apia wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Apia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,279 in Apia and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

All in, you’ll spend $853 per month in Apia versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Apia is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.