Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baguio and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $737 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index
58

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

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Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Baguio versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Baguio $737
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,148 in Baguio versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Baguio $1,148
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,558 in Baguio versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Baguio $1,558
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Baguio costs roughly 39% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baguio 46% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱250

$10.92 MX$205

-64.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.66 ₱1,062

$43.37 MX$814

-61.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.73 ₱174

$11.78 MX$221

-76.83%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₱115

$3.81 MX$71.5

-52.76%

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

$0.55 ₱35.11

$1.28 MX$24.07

-57.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.22

$0.78 MX$14.70

-57.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱63.4

$3.17 MX$59.5

-68.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱97.9

$4.93 MX$92.7

-68.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₱101

$1.41 MX$26.40

12.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱72.9

$2.22 MX$41.62

-48.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.5

$1.42 MX$26.61

-31.69%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$2.52 MX$47.36

-21.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 ₱326

$7.26 MX$136

-29.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ₱209

$7.70 MX$144

-57.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 ₱486

$12.69 MX$238

-39.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 ₱140

$2.78 MX$52.3

-21.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₱99.1

$1.37 MX$25.68

13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱144

$2.55 MX$47.89

-11.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.9

$2.12 MX$39.86

-51.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

$1.94 MX$36.39

-10.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$1.89 MX$35.41

-10.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.13

$1.15 MX$21.53

-43.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.66

$1.18 MX$22.13

-56.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 ₱187

$4.30 MX$80.6

-31.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.50 ₱542

$9.95 MX$187

-14.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.3

$1.58 MX$29.73

-39.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱131

$2.67 MX$50.1

-23.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.02

$0.55 MX$10.39

-60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.90 ₱822

$26.62 MX$500

-51.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.7

$4.97 MX$93.3

-83.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.35

$3.33 MX$62.5

-92.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$5.36 MX$101

-64.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱76.0

$1.44 MX$27.11

-17.36%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$20.7K MX$388.0K

2.87%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-19.95%

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

$136 ₱8,660

$84.8 MX$1,592

60.29%

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

$17.08 ₱1,088

$23.41 MX$439

-27.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.01 ₱1,466

$28.66 MX$538

-19.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.76 ₱1,323

$57.1 MX$1,071

-63.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.23 ₱333

$28.91 MX$543

-81.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱321

$5.14 MX$96.5

-2.14%

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

$132 ₱8,442

$207 MX$3,878

-35.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱672.3K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

168.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.91 ₱1,842

$43.35 MX$814

-33.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.53 ₱1,244

$41.44 MX$778

-52.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,556

$74.2 MX$1,393

-3.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 ₱3,497

$89.3 MX$1,676

-38.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₱25.1K

$980 MX$18.4K

-59.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ₱12.2K

$381 MX$7,150

-49.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₱52.2K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-52.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ₱29.5K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-56.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,156 ₱201.1K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-19.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,526 ₱97.2K

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-75.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$179 ₱11.4K

$735 MX$13.8K

-75.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.45

-41.05%

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

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 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

Baguio

$192 26.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 98.1% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baguio

$176 23.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 22.2% $39

Groceries & Markets

Baguio

$171 23.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 48.8% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Baguio

$79 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 42% $33

Eating Out

Baguio

$73 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 178% $130

Sport & Entertainment

Baguio

$31 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 118% $36

Getting Around

Baguio

$16 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 219% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $393 in Baguio and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $17 in Baguio vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $255 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Baguio

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

15:21 3:21 PM

13 h behind Baguio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

366,358

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Baguio Playa del Carmen 14,910 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Baguio
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

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

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 76% lower in Baguio. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $393 in Baguio versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $737 per month in Baguio versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Baguio is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Baguio runs roughly 52% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.

Expats usually find Baguio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.