Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boracay and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Boracay: $915 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Boracay
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Boracay Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Boracay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Boracay versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Boracay $915
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,349 in Boracay versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Boracay $1,349
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,783 in Boracay versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Boracay $1,783
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Boracay costs roughly 24% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Boracay 33% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.31 ₱340

$10.92 MX$203

-51.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.68 ₱1,195

$43.37 MX$807

-56.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.97 ₱382

$11.78 MX$219

-49.32%

Cappuccino

$2.32 ₱148

$3.81 MX$70.9

-39.11%

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

$0.69 ₱44.18

$1.28 MX$23.87

-46.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 ₱14.03

$0.78 MX$14.57

-71.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ₱76.2

$3.17 MX$59.0

-62.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₱129

$4.93 MX$91.9

-59.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.93 ₱187

$1.41 MX$26.18

107.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 ₱81.5

$2.22 MX$41.27

-42.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ₱57.5

$1.42 MX$26.38

-36.62%

Eggs

$1.89 ₱121

$2.52 MX$46.96

-25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.04 ₱322

$7.26 MX$135

-30.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 ₱249

$7.70 MX$143

-49.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.49 ₱415

$12.69 MX$236

-48.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₱147

$2.78 MX$51.8

-17.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ₱96.1

$1.37 MX$25.47

9.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ₱130

$2.55 MX$47.49

-20.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 ₱82.3

$2.12 MX$39.52

-39.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 ₱140

$1.94 MX$36.08

12.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 ₱137

$1.89 MX$35.11

13.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₱58.7

$1.15 MX$21.34

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₱37.48

$1.18 MX$21.95

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 ₱147

$4.30 MX$80.0

-46.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₱487

$9.95 MX$185

-23.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₱57.3

$1.58 MX$29.48

-43.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₱126

$2.67 MX$49.72

-26.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.06

$0.55 MX$10.30

-60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.67 ₱683

$26.62 MX$495

-59.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 ₱42.45

$4.97 MX$92.5

-86.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.24

$3.33 MX$62.0

-92.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 ₱113

$5.36 MX$99.7

-67.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱70.4

$1.44 MX$26.88

-23.61%

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

$22.9K ₱1.5M

$20.7K MX$384.7K

10.80%

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

$20.3K ₱1.3M

$23.5K MX$436.8K

-13.57%

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

$109 ₱6,945

$84.8 MX$1,578

28.00%

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

$15.54 ₱994

$23.41 MX$436

-33.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.36 ₱2,135

$28.66 MX$533

16.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.49 ₱2,143

$57.1 MX$1,062

-41.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.90 ₱314

$28.91 MX$538

-83.05%

Cinema Ticket

$5.21 ₱334

$5.14 MX$95.7

1.36%

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

$141 ₱8,997

$207 MX$3,845

-31.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,871 ₱503.6K

$3,927 MX$73.1K

100.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.63 ₱1,768

$43.35 MX$807

-36.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.45 ₱1,181

$41.44 MX$771

-55.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.3 ₱4,304

$74.2 MX$1,381

-9.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.7 ₱3,309

$89.3 MX$1,661

-42.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₱15.9K

$980 MX$18.2K

-74.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 ₱21.6K

$381 MX$7,089

-11.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ₱31.3K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-71.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₱37.7K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-45.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,586 ₱165.4K

$3,943 MX$73.4K

-34.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,129 ₱72.2K

$6,158 MX$114.6K

-81.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$230 ₱14.7K

$735 MX$13.7K

-68.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.92

11.45

-39.56%

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

Last update for Boracay: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boracay

$337 36.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 13% $44

Groceries & Markets

Boracay

$187 20.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 36% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boracay

$157 17.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 13.1% $21

Eating Out

Boracay

$102 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 98.7% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Boracay

$74 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 50.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Boracay

$44 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 53.3% $23

Getting Around

Boracay

$13 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 277% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $248 in Boracay and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Boracay vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $255 per month, with Boracay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Boracay

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:27 3:27 PM

02:27 2:27 AM

13 h behind Boracay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,296

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.22 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.62 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.72 MXN (100 MXN = 4.83 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Boracay Playa del Carmen 15,200 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Boracay
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

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

Boracay and Playa del Carmen differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($915 vs $1,204 including rent). Boracay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 69% lower in Boracay. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $248 in Boracay 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 36% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Boracay – a meal for two runs $19 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $915 in Boracay versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Boracay but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Boracay 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.

Expats usually find Boracay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.