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 2.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 30.3% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Buff Bay is 26.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 37% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.33 JMD 1,158

$11.61 MX$200

-36.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 JMD 9,766

$42.75 MX$738

44.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 JMD 788

$10.60 MX$183

-52.92%

Cappuccino

$4.32 JMD 682

$3.59 MX$62.0

20.33%

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

$0.77 JMD 122

$1.45 MX$25.08

-46.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 JMD 104

$0.90 MX$15.50

-26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 JMD 303

$3.03 MX$52.4

-36.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 JMD 493

$4.56 MX$78.8

-31.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.25 JMD 671

$1.45 MX$25.07

193.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 JMD 556

$1.83 MX$31.55

92.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 JMD 245

$1.61 MX$27.77

-3.73%

Eggs

$3.56 JMD 563

$2.54 MX$43.82

40.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.94 JMD 1,728

$8.54 MX$148

28.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.33 JMD 1,000

$8.47 MX$146

-25.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.79 JMD 1,232

$10.86 MX$188

-28.27%

Apples (1kg)

$6.00 JMD 947

$2.73 MX$47.13

119.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.98 JMD 471

$1.49 MX$25.77

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 JMD 670

$1.94 MX$33.55

118.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 JMD 475

$2.16 MX$37.38

38.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 JMD 319

$1.85 MX$31.88

9.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 JMD 319

$2.19 MX$37.80

-7.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 JMD 472

$1.07 MX$18.52

178.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 JMD 236

$1.08 MX$18.71

37.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.95 JMD 1,413

$4.06 MX$70.1

120.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 JMD 1,814

$10.46 MX$181

9.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 JMD 452

$1.65 MX$28.56

73.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 JMD 497

$2.55 MX$44.01

23.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$9.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.20 MX$453

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 JMD 178

$3.14 MX$54.2

-64.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.13 JMD 495

$2.37 MX$40.96

32.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 JMD 998

$3.24 MX$56.0

94.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 JMD 195

$1.31 MX$22.70

-5.34%

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

$43.4K JMD 6.9M

$30.5K MX$527.4K

42.10%

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

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

$23.8K MX$411.4K

38.08%

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

$165 JMD 26.0K

$83.1 MX$1,436

98.28%

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

$22.36 JMD 3,533

$22.15 MX$383

0.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 JMD 8,142

$29.37 MX$507

75.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 MX$884

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.69 MX$323

Cinema Ticket

$13.40 JMD 2,117

$4.89 MX$84.4

174.03%

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

$222 JMD 35.1K

$199 MX$3,431

11.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,475 JMD 391.0K

$5,207 MX$89.9K

-52.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.87 JMD 4,087

$35.93 MX$621

-28.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.23 JMD 3,986

$39.39 MX$680

-35.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 JMD 11.1K

$80.3 MX$1,387

-12.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.2 JMD 11.9K

$87.6 MX$1,512

-14.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,326

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 MX$28.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 MX$20.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,957 MX$68.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,513 MX$112.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$726 MX$12.5K

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: 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

Buff Bay vs other spots: cost of living compared

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