Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butuan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $569 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
Learn more

Butuan Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$569

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $569 in Butuan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Butuan $569
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $899 in Butuan versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Butuan $899
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,229 in Butuan versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Butuan $1,229
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Butuan costs roughly 53% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Butuan 58% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ₱298

$10.92 MX$204

-57.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.45 ₱1,693

$43.37 MX$810

-39.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.32 ₱149

$11.78 MX$220

-80.31%

Cappuccino

$2.04 ₱131

$3.81 MX$71.2

-46.46%

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

$0.30 ₱19.17

$1.28 MX$23.96

-76.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ₱15.36

$0.78 MX$14.63

-69.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 ₱101

$3.17 MX$59.2

-50.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₱152

$4.93 MX$92.2

-51.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱123

$1.41 MX$26.28

36.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱71.1

$2.22 MX$41.43

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ₱57.3

$1.42 MX$26.48

-36.62%

Eggs

$1.83 ₱117

$2.52 MX$47.14

-27.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.42 ₱411

$7.26 MX$136

-11.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 ₱304

$7.70 MX$144

-38.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 ₱602

$12.69 MX$237

-25.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 ₱170

$2.78 MX$52.0

-4.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 ₱69.8

$1.37 MX$25.56

-20.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱153

$2.55 MX$47.66

-5.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱74.7

$2.12 MX$39.67

-44.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 ₱126

$1.94 MX$36.22

1.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.40 ₱218

$1.89 MX$35.24

79.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ₱75.5

$1.15 MX$21.42

2.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₱44.76

$1.18 MX$22.03

-40.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ₱155

$4.30 MX$80.3

-43.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 ₱491

$9.95 MX$186

-22.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.5

$1.58 MX$29.59

-19.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱103

$2.67 MX$49.91

-40.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.8

$4.97 MX$92.9

-83.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.40

$3.33 MX$62.2

-92.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱124

$5.36 MX$100

-63.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ₱68.1

$1.44 MX$26.98

-26.39%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$20.7K MX$386.2K

0.57%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$23.5K MX$438.5K

-18.49%

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

$106 ₱6,765

$84.8 MX$1,584

24.68%

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

$18.42 ₱1,179

$23.41 MX$437

-21.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.63 ₱1,960

$28.66 MX$535

6.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.59 ₱1,509

$57.1 MX$1,066

-58.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$4.18 ₱267

$5.14 MX$96.0

-18.68%

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

$106 ₱6,779

$207 MX$3,860

-48.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,473 ₱478.2K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

90.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 ₱3,811

$43.35 MX$810

37.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.15 ₱1,929

$41.44 MX$774

-27.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.0 ₱4,417

$74.2 MX$1,386

-6.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 ₱3,884

$89.3 MX$1,668

-31.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

11.45

-27.42%

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

Last update for Butuan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Butuan

$198 34.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 28.4% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butuan

$155 27.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 11.6% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Butuan

$99 17.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 13.1% $13

Eating Out

Butuan

$84 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 142% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Butuan

$32 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 111% $35

Getting Around

Butuan

$2 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2410% $48

Accommodation & Living

Butuan

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $26 in Butuan vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $255 per month, with Butuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Butuan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

14:03 2:03 PM

13 h behind Butuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,063

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 = 71.23 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Butuan Playa del Carmen 15,160 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Butuan
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

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

Butuan wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Butuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $854 in Butuan and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $106 in Butuan versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Butuan – a meal for two runs $26 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $569 in Butuan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Butuan but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Butuan 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.