Cost of Living Comparison Between Buea and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Buea and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Buea is 48.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 57.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Buea is 54.9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 64.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.72 FCFA 957
$11.61 MX$200
-85.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
-
$42.75 MX$738
-
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.28 FCFA 3,497
$10.60 MX$183
-40.75%
Cappuccino
$2.16 FCFA 1,201
$3.59 MX$62.0
-39.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 FCFA 672
$1.45 MX$25.08
-16.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 FCFA 276
$0.90 MX$15.50
-44.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.09 FCFA 604
$3.03 MX$52.4
-64.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 FCFA 779
$4.56 MX$78.8
-69.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.07 FCFA 1,711
$1.45 MX$25.07
111.72%
White Bread (500g)
$0.42 FCFA 231
$1.83 MX$31.55
-77.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.59 FCFA 884
$1.61 MX$27.77
-1.24%
Eggs
$2.66 FCFA 1,482
$2.54 MX$43.82
4.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
-
$8.54 MX$148
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
-
$8.47 MX$146
-
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.54 FCFA 2,524
$10.86 MX$188
-58.20%
Apples (1kg)
$3.61 FCFA 2,008
$2.73 MX$47.13
32.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 FCFA 791
$1.49 MX$25.77
-4.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.92 FCFA 514
$1.94 MX$33.55
-52.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.44 FCFA 800
$2.16 MX$37.38
-33.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.71 FCFA 952
$1.85 MX$31.88
-7.57%
Onion (1kg)
$1.45 FCFA 805
$2.19 MX$37.80
-33.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
-
$1.07 MX$18.52
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 FCFA 379
$1.08 MX$18.71
-37.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$4.06 MX$70.1
-
Wine (Bottle)
$8.71 FCFA 4,849
$10.46 MX$181
-16.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 FCFA 674
$1.65 MX$28.56
-26.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 FCFA 967
$2.55 MX$44.01
-31.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Buea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.56 MX$9.60
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.20 MX$453
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.27 FCFA 151
$3.14 MX$54.2
-91.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 FCFA 258
$2.37 MX$40.96
-80.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.31 FCFA 2,952
$3.24 MX$56.0
63.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 FCFA 699
$1.31 MX$22.70
-3.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.3K FCFA 10.7M
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-36.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.5K FCFA 11.9M
$23.8K MX$411.4K
-9.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.1 FCFA 34.6K
$83.1 MX$1,436
-25.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.60 FCFA 9,793
$22.15 MX$383
-20.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$112 FCFA 62.3K
$29.37 MX$507
281.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.53 FCFA 14.8K
$51.2 MX$884
-48.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.53 FCFA 2,522
$18.69 MX$323
-75.76%
Cinema Ticket
-
$4.89 MX$84.4
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$617 FCFA 343.3K
$199 MX$3,431
210.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,207 MX$89.9K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$34.92 FCFA 19.4K
$35.93 MX$621
-2.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$39.39 MX$680
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$80.3 MX$1,387
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 FCFA 40.0K
$87.6 MX$1,512
-17.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$71.3 FCFA 39.7K
$963 MX$16.6K
-92.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$60.8 FCFA 33.8K
$482 MX$8,326
-87.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$216 FCFA 120.2K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-81.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$135 FCFA 75.2K
$726 MX$12.5K
-81.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
11.42
-

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

Last update for Buea: April 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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