Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belize City and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,236 in Belize City, rent and utilities included – about $380 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Belize City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Belize City
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Belize City Living Index
58

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

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Belize City

🇧🇿 Belize

$1,236

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,236 in Belize City versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Belize City $1,236
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,798 in Belize City versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Belize City $1,798
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,360 in Belize City versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Belize City $2,360
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Belize City is roughly 3% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Belize City 9% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.40 BZD 12.81

$10.92 MX$205

-41.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.73 BZD 99.5

$43.37 MX$814

14.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.65 BZD 19.30

$11.78 MX$221

-18.08%

Cappuccino

$3.59 BZD 7.17

$3.81 MX$71.5

-5.77%

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

$1.72 BZD 3.44

$1.28 MX$24.07

34.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 BZD 2.83

$0.78 MX$14.70

80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 BZD 5.17

$3.17 MX$59.5

-18.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 BZD 6.13

$4.93 MX$92.7

-37.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.68 BZD 7.36

$1.41 MX$26.40

160.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 BZD 5.03

$2.22 MX$41.62

13.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 BZD 6.91

$1.42 MX$26.61

142.96%

Eggs

$3.65 BZD 7.30

$2.52 MX$47.36

44.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.54 BZD 13.08

$7.26 MX$136

-9.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.80 BZD 19.61

$7.70 MX$144

27.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 BZD 18.22

$12.69 MX$238

-28.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 BZD 5.39

$2.78 MX$52.3

-2.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 BZD 3.70

$1.37 MX$25.68

35.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 BZD 5.40

$2.55 MX$47.89

5.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 BZD 6.02

$2.12 MX$39.86

41.98%

Potato (1kg)

$4.06 BZD 8.12

$1.94 MX$36.39

109.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 BZD 5.52

$1.89 MX$35.41

46.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 BZD 4.55

$1.15 MX$21.53

97.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 BZD 3.16

$1.18 MX$22.13

33.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 BZD 9.05

$4.30 MX$80.6

5.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 BZD 19.87

$9.95 MX$187

-0.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 BZD 4.76

$1.58 MX$29.73

50.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 BZD 4.04

$2.67 MX$50.1

-24.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.03 BZD 8.06

$0.55 MX$10.39

632.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 BZD 9.85

$4.97 MX$93.3

-1.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.49 BZD 4.98

$1.44 MX$27.11

72.92%

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

$10.7K BZD 21.4K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

-48.22%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

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

$376 BZD 753

$84.8 MX$1,592

343.97%

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

$50.3 BZD 101

$23.41 MX$439

114.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.00 BZD 54.0

$28.66 MX$538

-5.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.75 BZD 49.51

$57.1 MX$1,071

-56.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.45 BZD 4.89

$28.91 MX$543

-91.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 BZD 10.15

$5.14 MX$96.5

-1.36%

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

$65.5 BZD 131

$207 MX$3,878

-68.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$684 BZD 1,369

$3,927 MX$73.7K

-82.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.81 BZD 65.6

$43.35 MX$814

-24.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.95 BZD 49.90

$41.44 MX$778

-39.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.57 BZD 75.2

$74.2 MX$1,393

-49.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.85 BZD 75.7

$89.3 MX$1,676

-57.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$344 BZD 687

$980 MX$18.4K

-64.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 BZD 386

$381 MX$7,150

-49.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$563 BZD 1,127

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-67.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 BZD 641

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-70.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$849 BZD 1,698

$735 MX$13.8K

15.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

11.45

0.44%

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

Last update for Belize City: 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.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belize City

$454 36.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 69.8% $317

Groceries & Markets

Belize City

$318 25.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 20% $64

Accommodation & Living

Belize City

$193 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 97.3% $188

Eating Out

Belize City

$155 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 30.7% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Belize City

$60 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 86.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Belize City

$35 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 92.9% $32

Getting Around

Belize City

$21 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 140% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $344 in Belize City and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belize City pays 16% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Belize City vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇿 Belize City

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

18:23 6:23 PM

1 h ahead of Belize City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,999

149,923

💱 Currency

Belize Dollar BZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BZD = 0.5 USD

1 BZD = 0.448 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BZD – Belize Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇿 Belize Dollar ($)

Belize Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BZD (1 BZD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.23 BZD (1 BZD = 0.448 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 BZD in detail →

On the map

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Belize City Playa del Carmen 370 km

From you

Belize 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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Belize City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Belize City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $344 in Belize City versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Belize City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,236 per month in Belize City versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Belize City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.