Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Centurion and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,367 in Centurion, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,367

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,367 in Centurion versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Centurion $1,367
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,206 in Centurion versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Centurion $2,206
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,045 in Centurion versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Centurion $3,045
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Centurion is roughly 13% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.75 R 362

$10.92 MX$204

99.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R 667

$43.37 MX$808

-7.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.75 R 95.9

$11.78 MX$220

-51.19%

Cappuccino

$2.67 R 44.44

$3.81 MX$71.0

-29.92%

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

$0.97 R 16.10

$1.28 MX$23.90

-24.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.45

$0.78 MX$14.59

11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 R 34.01

$3.17 MX$59.0

-35.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R 40.26

$4.93 MX$92.0

-50.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.41

$1.41 MX$26.22

-17.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 20.20

$2.22 MX$41.33

-45.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.18

$1.42 MX$26.42

48.59%

Eggs

$2.93 R 48.88

$2.52 MX$47.03

16.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 R 168

$7.26 MX$135

38.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 R 110

$7.70 MX$143

-13.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 R 121

$12.69 MX$237

-42.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 R 31.01

$2.78 MX$51.9

-33.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 R 31.03

$1.37 MX$25.50

35.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.60

$2.55 MX$47.55

-16.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R 34.19

$2.12 MX$39.58

-3.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.43

$1.94 MX$36.13

-18.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.68

$1.89 MX$35.16

-5.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 R 22.59

$1.15 MX$21.37

18.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.14

$1.18 MX$21.98

17.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 R 61.6

$4.30 MX$80.1

-13.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.94 R 99.1

$9.95 MX$185

-40.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 R 26.35

$1.58 MX$29.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 R 34.79

$2.67 MX$49.79

-21.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.36 R 39.30

$0.55 MX$10.31

329.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.4 R 1,623

$26.62 MX$496

265.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R 20.37

$4.97 MX$92.6

-75.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.18 R 19.67

$3.33 MX$62.1

-64.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 R 151

$5.36 MX$99.8

68.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 24.00

$1.44 MX$26.92

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

$35.7K R 594.9K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

72.76%

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

$32.9K R 547.6K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

40.03%

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

$136 R 2,270

$84.8 MX$1,581

60.66%

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

$29.89 R 498

$23.41 MX$436

27.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.20 R 670

$28.66 MX$534

40.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.78 R 730

$57.1 MX$1,063

-23.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 R 176

$5.14 MX$95.8

106.03%

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

$315 R 5,243

$207 MX$3,851

52.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,416 R 73.6K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

12.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 R 975

$43.35 MX$808

34.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 R 721

$41.44 MX$772

4.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 R 1,950

$74.2 MX$1,383

57.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 R 1,701

$89.3 MX$1,664

14.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$335 R 5,589

$980 MX$18.3K

-65.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 R 6,144

$381 MX$7,099

-3.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 R 9,674

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-66.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$891 R 14.8K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-17.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$527 R 8,785

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-86.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$605 R 10.1K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-90.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,364 R 39.4K

$735 MX$13.7K

221.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

11.45

-8.30%

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

Last update for Centurion: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Centurion

$369 27%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 3.3% $12

Eating Out

Centurion

$246 18%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 17.6% $43

Groceries & Markets

Centurion

$223 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 14.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Centurion

$206 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 33.7% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Centurion

$144 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 22.6% $33

Getting Around

Centurion

$114 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 55.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Centurion

$65 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 3.6% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $335 in Centurion and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40 in Centurion vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $255 per month, with Centurion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Centurion

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:18 10:18 AM

03:18 3:18 AM

7 h behind Centurion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,580

149,923

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Centurion Playa del Carmen 13,440 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Centurion
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Centurion. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Centurion is about 3.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $335 in Centurion versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 73% less than in Centurion. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $315 in Centurion versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Centurion on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.