Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Azua and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Azua: $657 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Azua
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Azua Living Index
58

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

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Azua

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$657

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $657 in Azua versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Azua $657
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,055 in Azua versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Azua $1,055
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,453 in Azua versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Azua $1,453
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Azua costs roughly 45% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Azua 52% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.28 DOP 507

$10.92 MX$204

-24.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.74 DOP 2,495

$43.37 MX$808

-6.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 DOP 418

$11.78 MX$220

-42.11%

Cappuccino

$1.28 DOP 78.6

$3.81 MX$71.0

-66.40%

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

$0.71 DOP 43.78

$1.28 MX$23.90

-44.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 DOP 22.87

$0.78 MX$14.59

-52.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 DOP 152

$3.17 MX$59.0

-21.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 DOP 246

$4.93 MX$92.0

-18.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 DOP 72.5

$1.41 MX$26.22

-16.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 DOP 108

$2.22 MX$41.33

-20.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 DOP 61.5

$1.42 MX$26.42

-29.58%

Eggs

$1.44 DOP 88.2

$2.52 MX$47.03

-42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.12 DOP 375

$7.26 MX$135

-15.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 DOP 219

$7.70 MX$143

-53.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.66 DOP 286

$12.69 MX$237

-63.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 DOP 229

$2.78 MX$51.9

34.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 DOP 84.4

$1.37 MX$25.50

0.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 DOP 194

$2.55 MX$47.55

23.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 DOP 130

$2.12 MX$39.58

Potato (1kg)

$3.41 DOP 209

$1.94 MX$36.13

75.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 DOP 179

$1.89 MX$35.16

54.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 DOP 57.0

$1.15 MX$21.37

-19.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 DOP 101

$1.18 MX$21.98

39.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.87 DOP 298

$4.30 MX$80.1

13.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.30 DOP 998

$9.95 MX$185

63.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 DOP 185

$1.58 MX$29.52

90.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 DOP 210

$2.67 MX$49.79

28.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.39 DOP 146

$4.97 MX$92.6

-51.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 DOP 205

$3.33 MX$62.1

0.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 DOP 87.3

$1.44 MX$26.92

-0.69%

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

$14.9K DOP 912.0K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

-27.94%

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

$25.9K DOP 1.6M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

10.24%

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

$92.4 DOP 5,660

$84.8 MX$1,581

9.00%

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

$26.39 DOP 1,616

$23.41 MX$436

12.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.56 DOP 2,362

$28.66 MX$534

34.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.95 DOP 1,222

$57.1 MX$1,063

-65.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 DOP 304

$5.14 MX$95.8

-3.31%

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

$149 DOP 9,113

$207 MX$3,851

-27.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,366 DOP 328.6K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

36.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.08 DOP 1,597

$43.35 MX$808

-39.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.68 DOP 2,797

$41.44 MX$772

10.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.4 DOP 3,758

$74.2 MX$1,383

-17.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.1 DOP 4,045

$89.3 MX$1,664

-25.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,481 DOP 213.2K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-11.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-3.93%

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

Last update for Azua: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Azua

$234 35.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 8.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Azua

$157 24%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 13% $21

Eating Out

Azua

$127 19.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 59.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Azua

$90 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 24.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Azua

$30 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 125% $37

Getting Around

Azua

$19 * 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 164% $31

Accommodation & Living

Azua

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $41 in Azua vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $255 per month, with Azua cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Azua

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

17:59 5:59 PM

1 h behind Azua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

128,264

149,923

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 61.24 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Azua Playa del Carmen 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Azua
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

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

Azua is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $985 in Azua 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $657 per month in Azua versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Azua is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $657 in Azua versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Azua but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Azua the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.