Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bissau and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $814 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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

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Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$814

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $814 in Bissau versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Bissau $814
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,314 in Bissau versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Bissau $1,314
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,813 in Bissau versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Bissau $1,813
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Bissau costs roughly 32% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bissau 40% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.01 F CFA 2,923

$10.67 MX$198

-53.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.78 F CFA 15.1K

$43.80 MX$813

-41.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 F CFA 5,435

$11.79 MX$219

-21.03%

Cappuccino

$1.71 F CFA 1,001

$3.79 MX$70.3

-54.88%

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

$1.05 F CFA 611

$1.30 MX$24.07

-19.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 F CFA 509

$0.83 MX$15.47

4.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.71 F CFA 416

$3.15 MX$58.4

-77.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 F CFA 982

$1.41 MX$26.14

19.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 F CFA 533

$2.20 MX$40.75

-58.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 F CFA 1,168

$1.47 MX$27.33

36.05%

Eggs

$5.08 F CFA 2,965

$2.50 MX$46.34

103.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 F CFA 8,306

$7.29 MX$135

95.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.39 F CFA 7,819

$7.95 MX$148

68.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.77 F CFA 8,042

$12.86 MX$239

7.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 F CFA 2,415

$2.90 MX$53.8

42.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 F CFA 605

$1.38 MX$25.67

-24.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 F CFA 2,496

$2.49 MX$46.23

71.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.18 F CFA 104

$2.03 MX$37.67

-91.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 F CFA 777

$2.02 MX$37.58

-34.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 F CFA 800

$1.90 MX$35.32

-27.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.24

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 F CFA 734

$1.24 MX$22.99

1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 F CFA 3,958

$9.81 MX$182

-30.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 F CFA 766

$1.59 MX$29.43

-17.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 F CFA 504

$2.75 MX$51.0

-68.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 F CFA 304

$0.51 MX$9.56

1.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.31 F CFA 14.8K

$27.39 MX$508

-7.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 F CFA 833

$1.53 MX$28.36

-6.54%

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

$32.1K F CFA 18.8M

$21.2K MX$393.7K

51.53%

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

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

$23.3K MX$431.7K

24.34%

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

$103 F CFA 60.3K

$83.5 MX$1,549

23.61%

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

$34.08 F CFA 19.9K

$23.19 MX$430

46.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.88 F CFA 26.8K

$27.61 MX$512

66.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.15 F CFA 24.6K

$56.4 MX$1,047

-25.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$523

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.8

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

$759 F CFA 443.4K

$207 MX$3,843

266.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,301 F CFA 1.3M

$5,231 MX$97.1K

-56.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$806

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$789

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,350

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,640

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 F CFA 301.4K

$995 MX$18.5K

-48.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 F CFA 97.9K

$382 MX$7,097

-56.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 F CFA 492.4K

$1,674 MX$31.1K

-49.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 F CFA 251.8K

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-60.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$113.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,042 F CFA 608.6K

$832 MX$15.4K

25.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Bissau: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bissau

–

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Groceries & Markets

Bissau

–

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Eating Out

Bissau

–

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bissau

–

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Bissau

–

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Bissau

–

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Getting Around

Bissau

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $516 in Bissau and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bissau pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $26 in Bissau vs $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $294 vs $257, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇼 Bissau

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:59 3:59 AM

22:59 10:59 PM

5 h behind Bissau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

395,954 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 584 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bissau Playa del Carmen 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bissau
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $814 in Bissau and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, so Bissau is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Bissau, 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: $516 in Bissau versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $759 in Bissau versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $814 in Bissau versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau 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.