Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bel Air, Mauritius and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bel Air: $596 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Bel Air
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Bel Air Living Index
58

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

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Bel Air

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$596

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $596 in Bel Air versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Bel Air $596
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,005 in Bel Air versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Bel Air $1,005
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,415 in Bel Air versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Bel Air $1,415
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Bel Air costs roughly 51% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bel Air 56% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.67 MUR 267

$10.92 MX$205

-48.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.57 MUR 1,817

$43.37 MX$815

-11.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.51 MUR 354

$11.78 MX$221

-36.25%

Cappuccino

$1.08 MUR 50.9

$3.81 MX$71.6

-71.65%

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

$1.03 MUR 48.58

$1.28 MX$24.10

-19.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 MUR 28.03

$0.78 MX$14.71

-24.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 MUR 75.4

$3.17 MX$59.5

-49.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 MUR 146

$4.93 MX$92.7

-37.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MUR 75.0

$1.41 MX$26.43

12.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MUR 35.01

$2.22 MX$41.66

-66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 MUR 51.7

$1.42 MX$26.64

-22.54%

Eggs

$2.59 MUR 122

$2.52 MX$47.41

2.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.17 MUR 244

$7.26 MX$137

-28.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.31 MUR 297

$7.70 MX$145

-18.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 MUR 536

$12.69 MX$239

-10.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MUR 131

$2.78 MX$52.3

-0.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 MUR 121

$1.37 MX$25.71

87.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 MUR 66.4

$2.55 MX$47.94

-44.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 MUR 143

$2.12 MX$39.90

43.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 MUR 47.19

$1.94 MX$36.43

-48.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 MUR 48.23

$1.89 MX$35.44

-46.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 MUR 32.63

$1.15 MX$21.55

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 MUR 40.33

$1.18 MX$22.16

-27.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 MUR 312

$4.30 MX$80.7

53.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.43 MUR 397

$9.95 MX$187

-15.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 MUR 80.8

$1.58 MX$29.76

8.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 MUR 107

$2.67 MX$50.2

-14.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.19 MUR 198

$4.97 MX$93.4

-15.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 MUR 152

$3.33 MX$62.6

-3.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.07 MUR 993

$5.36 MX$101

293.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MUR 64.2

$1.44 MX$27.14

-5.56%

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

$36.5K MUR 1.7M

$20.7K MX$388.4K

76.62%

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

$30.7K MUR 1.4M

$23.5K MX$441.0K

30.71%

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

$45.82 MUR 2,159

$84.8 MX$1,594

-45.96%

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

$10.71 MUR 504

$23.41 MX$440

-54.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.24 MUR 1,378

$28.66 MX$539

2.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$6.20 MUR 292

$5.14 MX$96.6

20.62%

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

$130 MUR 6,117

$207 MX$3,882

-37.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,780 MUR 366.6K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

98.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.5 MUR 3,697

$43.35 MX$815

80.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.4 MUR 3,456

$41.44 MX$779

77.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 MUR 5,761

$74.2 MX$1,394

64.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.1 MUR 3,631

$89.3 MX$1,677

-13.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

11.45

-41.75%

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

Last update for Bel Air: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Bel Air

$218 36.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 17.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Bel Air

$158 26.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29.3% $46

Eating Out

Bel Air

$102 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 99.3% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bel Air

$86 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 59.6% $51

Getting Around

Bel Air

$20 * 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 148% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Bel Air

$12 * 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 443% $55

Accommodation & Living

Bel Air

- * 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: $39 in Bel Air vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $255 per month, with Bel Air cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Bel Air

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

20:25 8:25 PM

9 h behind Bel Air

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,600

149,923

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 47.12 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.61 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bel Air Playa del Carmen 16,360 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Bel Air
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

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

Bel Air wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bel Air the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $893 in Bel Air 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 17% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $596 per month in Bel Air versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Bel Air is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $596 in Bel Air versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Bel Air but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bel Air 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.