Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Banjul and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Banjul: $677 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Banjul
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Banjul Living Index
58

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

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Banjul

🇬🇲 Gambia

$677

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $677 per month in Banjul vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Banjul $677
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,191 per month in Banjul vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Banjul $1,191
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,706 per month in Banjul vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Banjul $1,706
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Banjul is about 44% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Banjul and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Banjul 50% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.47 GMD 554

$10.92 MX$204

-31.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.6 GMD 5,603

$43.37 MX$808

74.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 GMD 596

$11.78 MX$220

-31.75%

Cappuccino

$3.72 GMD 276

$3.81 MX$71.0

-2.36%

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

$2.66 GMD 197

$1.28 MX$23.90

107.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 GMD 114

$0.78 MX$14.59

96.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 GMD 427

$3.17 MX$59.0

81.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 GMD 331

$4.93 MX$92.0

-9.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 GMD 104

$1.41 MX$26.22

-0.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 GMD 44.98

$2.22 MX$41.33

-72.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 GMD 97.6

$1.42 MX$26.42

-7.04%

Eggs

$1.90 GMD 141

$2.52 MX$47.03

-24.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.24 GMD 462

$7.26 MX$135

-14.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.77 GMD 206

$7.70 MX$143

-64.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.77 GMD 427

$12.69 MX$237

-54.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 GMD 154

$2.78 MX$51.9

-25.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 GMD 93.9

$1.37 MX$25.50

-7.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 GMD 132

$2.55 MX$47.55

-29.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 GMD 104

$2.12 MX$39.58

-33.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 GMD 69.0

$1.94 MX$36.13

-52.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 GMD 74.0

$1.89 MX$35.16

-47.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.23 GMD 17.04

$1.15 MX$21.37

-80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 GMD 46.05

$1.18 MX$21.98

-47.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.69 GMD 125

$4.30 MX$80.1

-60.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.55 GMD 486

$9.95 MX$185

-34.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 GMD 112

$1.58 MX$29.52

-4.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 GMD 123

$2.67 MX$49.79

-37.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 GMD 13.08

$0.55 MX$10.31

-67.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.66 GMD 493

$26.62 MX$496

-74.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 GMD 52.5

$3.33 MX$62.1

-78.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 GMD 303

$5.36 MX$99.8

-23.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 GMD 77.8

$1.44 MX$26.92

-27.08%

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

$2,648 GMD 196.2K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

-87.19%

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

$3,346 GMD 248.0K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

-85.74%

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

$30.46 GMD 2,257

$84.8 MX$1,581

-64.08%

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

$14.52 GMD 1,076

$23.41 MX$436

-37.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.51 GMD 3,298

$28.66 MX$534

55.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.02 GMD 1,780

$57.1 MX$1,063

-57.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.42 GMD 994

$28.91 MX$539

-53.58%

Cinema Ticket

$3.33 GMD 247

$5.14 MX$95.8

-35.21%

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

$6.92 GMD 513

$207 MX$3,851

-96.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$139 GMD 10.3K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

-96.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 GMD 4,170

$43.35 MX$808

29.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.27 GMD 3,280

$41.44 MX$772

6.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 GMD 7,262

$74.2 MX$1,383

32.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 GMD 6,439

$89.3 MX$1,664

-2.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$105 GMD 7,744

$980 MX$18.3K

-89.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$82.1 GMD 6,082

$381 MX$7,099

-78.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 GMD 16.3K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-87.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 GMD 10.2K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-87.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,443 GMD 107.0K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-63.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 GMD 86.3K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-81.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$62.4 GMD 4,622

$735 MX$13.7K

-91.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

31.00%

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

Last update for Banjul: 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.

Eating Out

Banjul

$183 27.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 10.5% $19

Groceries & Markets

Banjul

$152 22.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 67.5% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Banjul

$128 19%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 13% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Banjul

$89 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 52.9% $47

Accommodation & Living

Banjul

$82 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 364% $299

Sport & Entertainment

Banjul

$31 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 119% $37

Getting Around

Banjul

$11 * 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 362% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $105 in Banjul versus $980 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 in Playa del Carmen are about 12 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Banjul versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $152 in Banjul vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Banjul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇲 Banjul

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

17:14 5:14 PM

5 h behind Banjul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,356 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Gambian Dalasi GMD D

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 GMD = 1.35 USD

100 GMD = 1.21 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GMD – Gambian Dalasi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇲 Gambian Dalasi (D)

Gambian Dalasi exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 74.1 GMD (100 GMD = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 82.49 GMD (100 GMD = 1.21 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 GMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Banjul Playa del Carmen 7,480 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Banjul
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,015 per month in Banjul and $1,806 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 Banjul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $105 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $677 in Banjul and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Banjul about 44% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Banjul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Banjul, where all-in costs run around $677, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Banjul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Banjul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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