Cost of Living Comparison Between Bel Ombre and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Bel Ombre and Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,043 in Bel Ombre versus $1,271 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,736 in Bel Ombre versus $2,126 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,430 in Bel Ombre versus $2,980 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Bel Ombre costs roughly 18% less than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bel Ombre 22% lower, Playa del Carmen 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.44 MUR 303

$11.87 MX$204

-45.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 MUR 2,111

$42.90 MX$736

4.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.11 MUR 335

$10.65 MX$183

-33.24%

Cappuccino

$2.60 MUR 122

$3.45 MX$59.2

-24.64%

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

$1.04 MUR 48.88

$1.50 MX$25.81

-30.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 MUR 26.64

$0.95 MX$16.28

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 MUR 101

$3.03 MX$51.9

-29.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 MUR 157

$4.61 MX$79.1

-27.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MUR 78.9

$1.38 MX$23.61

21.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 MUR 32.65

$1.85 MX$31.70

-62.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 MUR 62.3

$1.61 MX$27.65

-18.01%

Eggs

$2.34 MUR 110

$2.59 MX$44.51

-9.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.66 MUR 549

$8.26 MX$142

41.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.02 MUR 283

$8.37 MX$144

-28.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.50 MUR 588

$10.66 MX$183

17.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 MUR 93.3

$2.63 MX$45.12

-24.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 MUR 90.6

$1.49 MX$25.53

28.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 MUR 70.7

$1.92 MX$32.94

-21.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.74 MUR 129

$2.09 MX$35.81

31.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 MUR 46.97

$1.86 MX$31.88

-46.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 MUR 43.73

$2.26 MX$38.81

-58.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 MUR 37.06

$1.06 MX$18.23

-25.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 MUR 37.42

$1.09 MX$18.67

-27.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 MUR 312

$4.15 MX$71.2

59.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 MUR 393

$10.39 MX$178

-19.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MUR 83.4

$1.72 MX$29.59

2.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 MUR 103

$2.61 MX$44.85

-16.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 MUR 48.54

$0.54 MX$9.30

90.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 MX$462

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 MUR 209

$3.13 MX$53.7

41.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 MUR 127

$2.51 MX$43.09

7.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.14 MUR 948

$3.15 MX$54.1

539.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 MUR 65.6

$1.27 MX$21.88

9.45%

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

$35.7K MUR 1.7M

$30.4K MX$521.3K

17.48%

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

$28.2K MUR 1.3M

$23.6K MX$404.5K

19.87%

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

$49.67 MUR 2,339

$83.0 MX$1,425

-40.16%

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

$18.19 MUR 857

$22.71 MX$390

-19.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.38 MUR 1,572

$29.46 MX$506

13.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.59 MUR 1,817

$51.0 MX$875

-24.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 MX$315

Cinema Ticket

$5.98 MUR 282

$4.93 MX$84.5

21.30%

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

$151 MUR 7,116

$197 MX$3,386

-23.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,888 MUR 183.1K

$5,280 MX$90.6K

-26.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.8 MUR 4,042

$36.90 MX$633

132.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$80.4 MUR 3,785

$39.89 MX$685

101.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 MUR 6,152

$80.0 MX$1,373

63.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 MUR 4,387

$89.5 MX$1,536

4.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 MUR 24.2K

$956 MX$16.4K

-46.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 MUR 16.7K

$477 MX$8,189

-25.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$959 MUR 45.1K

$1,646 MX$28.3K

-41.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 MUR 33.5K

$1,225 MX$21.0K

-41.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,918 MX$67.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,459 MX$110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 MX$11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

11.42

-41.59%

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

Last update for Bel Ombre: June 9, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $514 in Bel Ombre and $956 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Bel Ombre vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $229 vs $250, with Bel Ombre cheaper for home cooking.

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

Bel Ombre wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bel Ombre the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,564 in Bel Ombre and $1,906 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $514 in Bel Ombre versus $956 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $151 in Bel Ombre versus $197 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bel Ombre – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,043 in Bel Ombre versus $1,271 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bel Ombre but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bel Ombre the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bel Ombre delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,043 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bel Ombre hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bel Ombre and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bel Ombre gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.