Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bacolod and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacolod: $607 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bacolod
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Bacolod Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Bacolod

🇵🇭 Philippines

$607

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $607 per month in Bacolod vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bacolod $607
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $885 per month in Bacolod vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bacolod $885
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,162 per month in Bacolod vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bacolod $1,162
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Bacolod is about 50% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bacolod and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Bacolod 55% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.34 ₱147

$10.76 MX$199

-78.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.87 ₱810

$43.03 MX$795

-70.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.03 ₱254

$11.79 MX$218

-65.82%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ₱155

$3.87 MX$71.4

-36.43%

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

$0.70 ₱43.96

$1.37 MX$25.29

-48.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ₱23.61

$0.84 MX$15.44

-54.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 ₱86.3

$3.10 MX$57.3

-55.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₱112

$5.07 MX$93.6

-64.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ₱101

$1.44 MX$26.55

11.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱73.2

$2.23 MX$41.23

-47.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₱60.0

$1.47 MX$27.17

-35.37%

Eggs

$1.66 ₱105

$2.53 MX$46.71

-34.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 ₱561

$7.30 MX$135

22.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.95 ₱437

$7.86 MX$145

-11.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ₱212

$2.90 MX$53.6

16.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 ₱152

$1.44 MX$26.53

68.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₱33.60

$2.06 MX$38.03

-74.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 ₱126

$2.01 MX$37.07

-0.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ₱64.8

$1.26 MX$23.23

-18.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 ₱175

$4.40 MX$81.4

-37.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₱57.4

$1.59 MX$29.41

-42.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 ₱11.18

$0.57 MX$10.47

-68.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 ₱38.66

$4.98 MX$92.1

-87.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱80.5

$1.47 MX$27.08

-12.93%

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

$22.1K ₱1.4M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

5.12%

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

$24.0K ₱1.5M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

0.38%

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

$137 ₱8,646

$84.2 MX$1,556

63.08%

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

$7.99 ₱503

$23.99 MX$443

-66.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.20 ₱1,776

$29.02 MX$536

-2.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.87 ₱999

$63.0 MX$1,164

-74.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.44 ₱153

$29.14 MX$539

-91.63%

Cinema Ticket

$4.37 ₱275

$4.94 MX$91.3

-11.54%

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

$31.23 ₱1,966

$204 MX$3,763

-84.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₱16.8K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-73.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 ₱11.2K

$374 MX$6,911

-52.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 ₱29.9K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-72.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 ₱21.8K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-68.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$206 ₱13.0K

$754 MX$13.9K

-72.68%

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 Bacolod: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bacolod

$178 29.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 110% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bacolod

$174 28.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 20.9% $36

Groceries & Markets

Bacolod

$155 * 25.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 67.2% $104

Eating Out

Bacolod

$75 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 170% $127

Sport & Entertainment

Bacolod

$25 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 196% $48

Getting Around

Bacolod

$1.3 * 0.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 3882% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Bacolod

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Bacolod versus $1,008 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.

Salaries run about 266% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Bacolod versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $155 vs $258 – making Bacolod the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Bacolod

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

17:38 5:38 PM

13 h behind Bacolod

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

561,875

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bacolod Playa del Carmen 15,230 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Bacolod
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $607 in Bacolod, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 99% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $911 per month in Bacolod and $1,816 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 Bacolod, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Bacolod and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 67% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bacolod, where all-in costs run around $607, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Bacolod it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $607 in Bacolod to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bacolod. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.