Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bayawan City and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bayawan City: $723 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Bayawan City, Philippines
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Bayawan City
🇵🇭 Philippines
$723
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $723 in Bayawan City versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Bayawan City $723
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,126 in Bayawan City versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Bayawan City $1,126
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,529 in Bayawan City versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Bayawan City $1,529
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Bayawan City costs roughly 40% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bayawan City 47% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bayawan City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.83 ₱243
$10.67 MX$198
-64.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.91 ₱1,516
$43.80 MX$813
-45.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.98 ₱253
$11.79 MX$219
-66.24%
Cappuccino
$2.56 ₱162
$3.79 MX$70.3
-32.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ₱40.38
$1.30 MX$24.09
-50.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 ₱29.28
$0.83 MX$15.48
-44.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.67 ₱106
$3.15 MX$58.4
-46.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 ₱143
$4.93 MX$91.6
-54.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bayawan City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.76 ₱112
$1.41 MX$26.16
24.82%
White Bread (500g)
$1.13 ₱71.6
$2.20 MX$40.77
-48.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.68 ₱43.03
$1.47 MX$27.35
-53.74%
Eggs
$1.93 ₱122
$2.50 MX$46.37
-22.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.73 ₱300
$7.29 MX$135
-35.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.28 ₱271
$7.95 MX$148
-46.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.21 ₱457
$12.86 MX$239
-43.93%
Apples (1kg)
$3.26 ₱207
$2.90 MX$53.8
12.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 ₱83.2
$1.38 MX$25.69
-5.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 ₱150
$2.49 MX$46.26
-5.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 ₱94.5
$2.03 MX$37.70
-26.60%
Potato (1kg)
$2.28 ₱145
$2.02 MX$37.61
12.87%
Onion (1kg)
$1.86 ₱118
$1.90 MX$35.35
-2.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.06 ₱67.3
$1.14 MX$21.25
-7.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 ₱41.08
$1.24 MX$23.01
-47.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.95 ₱187
$4.27 MX$79.3
-30.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.72 ₱299
$9.81 MX$182
-51.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 ₱47.61
$1.59 MX$29.45
-52.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 ₱107
$2.75 MX$51.0
-38.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Bayawan City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 ₱15.23
$0.51 MX$9.56
-52.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.18 ₱772
$27.39 MX$509
-55.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.78 ₱49.48
$4.76 MX$88.4
-83.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 ₱13.95
$3.25 MX$60.3
-93.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.89 ₱120
$5.39 MX$100
-64.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 ₱68.0
$1.53 MX$28.38
-30.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K ₱1.4M
$21.2K MX$393.9K
0.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.9K ₱1.2M
$23.3K MX$432.0K
-18.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bayawan City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$116 ₱7,366
$83.5 MX$1,550
39.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.66 ₱992
$23.19 MX$431
-32.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.67 ₱1,754
$27.61 MX$513
0.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bayawan City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.14 ₱1,974
$56.4 MX$1,048
-44.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.31 ₱337
$28.19 MX$524
-81.16%
Cinema Ticket
$1.55 ₱98.0
$5.00 MX$92.9
-69.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bayawan City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$128 ₱8,127
$207 MX$3,846
-38.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,957 ₱504.3K
$5,231 MX$97.1K
52.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bayawan City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.82 ₱2,081
$43.45 MX$807
-24.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.53 ₱1,238
$42.54 MX$790
-54.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.9 ₱4,685
$72.8 MX$1,351
1.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.4 ₱3,635
$88.4 MX$1,641
-35.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bayawan City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$246 ₱15.6K
$995 MX$18.5K
-75.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$164 ₱10.4K
$382 MX$7,102
-57.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$493 ₱31.3K
$1,674 MX$31.1K
-70.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$347 ₱22.0K
$1,081 MX$20.1K
-67.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,664 ₱168.9K
$3,909 MX$72.6K
-31.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,112 ₱70.5K
$6,138 MX$114.0K
-81.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bayawan City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$110 ₱7,001
$832 MX$15.5K
-86.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
11.45
-37.12%

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

Last update for Bayawan City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Bayawan City
$177
Playa del Carmen
$257 45.6% $81
Accommodation & Living
Bayawan City
$164
Playa del Carmen
$382 134% $219
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bayawan City
$160
Playa del Carmen
$134 15.8% $25
Eating Out
Bayawan City
$91
Playa del Carmen
$200 121% $110
Clothing & Footwear
Bayawan City
$83
Playa del Carmen
$111 34.6% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Bayawan City
$34
Playa del Carmen
$66 94.1% $32
Getting Around
Bayawan City
$15
Playa del Carmen
$50 236% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $246 in Bayawan City and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 7.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $24 in Bayawan City vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $257 per month, with Bayawan City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Bayawan City
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
06:54 6:54 AM
17:54 5:54 PM
13 h behind Bayawan City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
122,747
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.88 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bayawan City Playa del Carmen 15,350 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bayawan City
  • 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
Bayawan City vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Bayawan City and in Playa del Carmen?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $723 in Bayawan City and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, so Bayawan City is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 87% lower in Bayawan City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Bayawan City and in Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $246 in Bayawan City versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Bayawan City – a meal for two runs $24 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $723 in Bayawan City versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bayawan City but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bayawan City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Bayawan City and Playa del Carmen?
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.
Where should expats move: Bayawan City or Playa del Carmen?
Expats usually find Bayawan City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Bayawan City vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?