Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabanatuan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabanatuan: $601 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Cabanatuan
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Cabanatuan Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Cabanatuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$601

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $601 per month in Cabanatuan vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cabanatuan $601
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $954 per month in Cabanatuan vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cabanatuan $954
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,308 per month in Cabanatuan vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cabanatuan $1,308
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Cabanatuan is about 50% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cabanatuan and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Cabanatuan 56% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 ₱246

$10.67 MX$201

-63.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.59 ₱1,054

$43.80 MX$824

-62.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.71 ₱172

$11.79 MX$222

-77.01%

Cappuccino

$1.74 ₱111

$3.79 MX$71.2

-54.09%

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

$0.60 ₱37.94

$1.30 MX$24.41

-53.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.17

$0.83 MX$15.69

-60.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₱59.5

$3.15 MX$59.2

-70.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱102

$4.93 MX$92.9

-67.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₱104

$1.41 MX$26.51

16.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.4

$2.20 MX$41.32

-49.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ₱55.6

$1.47 MX$27.71

-40.14%

Eggs

$2.04 ₱130

$2.50 MX$46.99

-18.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.87 ₱309

$7.29 MX$137

-33.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ₱209

$7.95 MX$150

-58.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.57 ₱480

$12.86 MX$242

-41.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ₱143

$2.90 MX$54.5

-22.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ₱65.8

$1.38 MX$26.03

-24.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 ₱152

$2.49 MX$46.88

-4.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.81 ₱51.4

$2.03 MX$38.20

-60.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 ₱104

$2.02 MX$38.11

-18.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 ₱108

$1.90 MX$35.82

-10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 ₱56.2

$1.14 MX$21.54

-22.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱32.91

$1.24 MX$23.32

-58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₱186

$4.27 MX$80.4

-31.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.71 ₱553

$9.81 MX$185

-11.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₱55.6

$1.59 MX$29.85

-44.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₱131

$2.75 MX$51.7

-25.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.26

$0.51 MX$9.69

-52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.40 ₱787

$27.39 MX$515

-54.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.2

$4.76 MX$89.6

-82.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.73

$3.25 MX$61.1

-93.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 ₱118

$5.39 MX$101

-65.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₱60.4

$1.53 MX$28.76

-37.91%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$21.2K MX$399.2K

0.63%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$23.3K MX$437.8K

-17.09%

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

$52.5 ₱3,330

$83.5 MX$1,571

-37.18%

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

$17.00 ₱1,079

$23.19 MX$436

-26.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.22 ₱1,347

$27.61 MX$520

-23.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.94 ₱694

$56.4 MX$1,062

-80.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.15 ₱327

$28.19 MX$531

-81.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 ₱321

$5.00 MX$94.1

1.00%

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

$132 ₱8,352

$207 MX$3,897

-36.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱681.1K

$5,231 MX$98.4K

105.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.07 ₱1,465

$43.45 MX$818

-46.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.29 ₱1,225

$42.54 MX$801

-54.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 ₱3,669

$72.8 MX$1,369

-20.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.8 ₱3,544

$88.4 MX$1,663

-36.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$250 ₱15.8K

$995 MX$18.7K

-74.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$164 ₱10.4K

$382 MX$7,197

-57.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$485 ₱30.8K

$1,674 MX$31.5K

-71.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 ₱22.1K

$1,081 MX$20.3K

-67.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,631 ₱167.0K

$3,909 MX$73.6K

-32.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 ₱69.8K

$6,138 MX$115.5K

-82.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$159 ₱10.1K

$832 MX$15.7K

-80.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.45

-41.05%

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

Last update for Cabanatuan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cabanatuan

$168 28%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 53.2% $89

Accommodation & Living

Cabanatuan

$164 27.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 133% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabanatuan

$91 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 48.1% $44

Eating Out

Cabanatuan

$72 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 180% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Cabanatuan

$70 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 58.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Cabanatuan

$21 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 216% $45

Getting Around

Cabanatuan

$15 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 233% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $250 in Cabanatuan versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17 in Cabanatuan versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $168 vs $257 – making Cabanatuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cabanatuan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:40 4:40 PM

03:40 3:40 AM

13 h behind Cabanatuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,231

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.49 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.17 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cabanatuan Playa del Carmen 14,960 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Cabanatuan
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $601 in Cabanatuan, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Cabanatuan comes out roughly 50% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $901 per month in Cabanatuan and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabanatuan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $250 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17 in Cabanatuan and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $601 in Cabanatuan and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Cabanatuan about 50% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Cabanatuan, where all-in costs run around $601, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Cabanatuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cabanatuan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cabanatuan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.