Cost of Living Comparison Between Buff Bay and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Buff Bay and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Buff Bay is 2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 30.3% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Buff Bay is 6.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 34.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.59 JMD 1,188

$11.85 MX$209

-35.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 JMD 9,966

$42.16 MX$744

51.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 JMD 802

$10.75 MX$190

-52.28%

Cappuccino

$4.40 JMD 688

$3.47 MX$61.3

26.80%

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

$0.72 JMD 112

$1.45 MX$25.65

-50.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 JMD 96.5

$0.90 MX$15.93

-31.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 JMD 298

$3.05 MX$53.9

-37.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 JMD 486

$4.42 MX$77.9

-29.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.25 JMD 665

$1.37 MX$24.17

210.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 JMD 573

$1.87 MX$33.05

95.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 JMD 244

$1.54 MX$27.25

1.30%

Eggs

$3.56 JMD 556

$2.50 MX$44.18

42.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.89 JMD 1,703

$8.61 MX$152

26.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.28 JMD 982

$8.63 MX$152

-27.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.42 JMD 1,161

$11.02 MX$195

-32.67%

Apples (1kg)

$5.89 JMD 922

$2.75 MX$48.53

114.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 JMD 488

$1.43 MX$25.21

118.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 JMD 645

$1.87 MX$33.05

120.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.05 JMD 478

$2.17 MX$38.26

40.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 JMD 331

$1.88 MX$33.23

12.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 JMD 306

$2.25 MX$39.65

-12.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.12 JMD 488

$1.07 MX$18.85

191.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 JMD 235

$1.07 MX$18.95

40.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.84 JMD 1,383

$4.15 MX$73.3

113.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.41 JMD 1,786

$10.34 MX$182

10.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 JMD 436

$1.68 MX$29.64

66.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 JMD 494

$2.48 MX$43.84

27.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$9.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.53 MX$468

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 JMD 176

$3.22 MX$56.8

-64.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.11 JMD 487

$2.48 MX$43.80

25.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 JMD 987

$3.11 MX$54.9

102.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 JMD 191

$1.26 MX$22.16

-3.17%

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

$43.6K JMD 6.8M

$30.7K MX$541.1K

42.21%

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

$33.5K JMD 5.2M

$24.0K MX$424.3K

39.44%

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

$164 JMD 25.6K

$82.5 MX$1,456

98.69%

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

$21.75 JMD 3,402

$22.29 MX$393

-2.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 JMD 7,935

$30.02 MX$530

68.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 MX$908

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 MX$323

Cinema Ticket

$13.35 JMD 2,087

$4.98 MX$88.0

168.07%

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

$226 JMD 35.3K

$200 MX$3,530

12.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,449 JMD 383.1K

$5,304 MX$93.6K

-53.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.58 JMD 4,001

$35.71 MX$630

-28.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.60 JMD 4,005

$39.56 MX$698

-35.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.6 JMD 11.0K

$80.6 MX$1,422

-12.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.0 JMD 12.0K

$88.3 MX$1,559

-12.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 MX$17.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,511

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 MX$28.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 MX$20.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$71.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,522 MX$115.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MX$13.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.15

11.42

-19.88%

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

Last update for Buff Bay: March 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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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