Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dasmarinas and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Dasmarinas: $496 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Dasmarinas
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Dasmarinas Living Index
59

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

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Dasmarinas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $496 in Dasmarinas versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Dasmarinas $496
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $738 in Dasmarinas versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Dasmarinas $738
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $980 in Dasmarinas versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Dasmarinas $980
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Dasmarinas costs roughly 59% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dasmarinas 63% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 ₱257

$10.86 MX$201

-62.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.95 ₱1,067

$44.21 MX$817

-61.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.71 ₱171

$11.76 MX$217

-76.96%

Cappuccino

$1.75 ₱110

$3.68 MX$68.0

-52.45%

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

$0.57 ₱35.76

$1.34 MX$24.79

-57.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.30

$0.82 MX$15.24

-62.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.96 ₱60.1

$3.06 MX$56.6

-68.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₱99.4

$4.94 MX$91.2

-68.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ₱87.5

$1.47 MX$27.17

-5.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱69.5

$2.22 MX$40.95

-50.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₱41.36

$1.48 MX$27.32

-55.41%

Eggs

$1.79 ₱113

$2.49 MX$45.99

-28.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.94 ₱311

$7.52 MX$139

-34.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 ₱219

$7.96 MX$147

-56.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.72 ₱297

$12.57 MX$232

-62.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ₱143

$2.78 MX$51.3

-18.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₱102

$1.43 MX$26.37

12.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$2.62 MX$48.37

-9.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ₱67.3

$2.14 MX$39.49

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.02 MX$37.38

-13.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 ₱108

$1.99 MX$36.74

-13.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.39

$1.14 MX$21.01

-46.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱32.54

$1.20 MX$22.18

-56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.88 ₱181

$4.26 MX$78.7

-32.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 ₱541

$10.02 MX$185

-14.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₱58.5

$1.54 MX$28.41

-39.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱125

$2.66 MX$49.17

-25.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱48.96

$4.90 MX$90.6

-84.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.76

$3.43 MX$63.5

-92.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱117

$5.38 MX$99.4

-65.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₱70.1

$1.45 MX$26.76

-23.45%

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

$21.4K ₱1.3M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

1.10%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-17.86%

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

$48.45 ₱3,050

$85.4 MX$1,577

-43.24%

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

$17.55 ₱1,105

$23.46 MX$434

-25.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.72 ₱1,494

$28.43 MX$525

-16.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.43 ₱2,105

$62.2 MX$1,149

-46.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.30 ₱334

$5.10 MX$94.3

3.92%

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

$134 ₱8,415

$201 MX$3,715

-33.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱674.0K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

171.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.53 ₱1,796

$44.39 MX$820

-35.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.55 ₱1,231

$41.35 MX$764

-52.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ₱4,561

$72.7 MX$1,344

-0.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.4 ₱3,552

$89.6 MX$1,656

-37.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$46.95 ₱2,956

$373 MX$6,887

-87.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$353 ₱22.2K

$738 MX$13.6K

-52.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

11.45

-44.10%

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

Last update for Dasmarinas: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dasmarinas

$160 32.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 61.3% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dasmarinas

$90 18.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 53% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Dasmarinas

$80 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 40.2% $32

Eating Out

Dasmarinas

$73 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 173% $127

Accommodation & Living

Dasmarinas

$47 9.5%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 694% $326

Sport & Entertainment

Dasmarinas

$44 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 64.4% $28

Getting Around

Dasmarinas

$2 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 2446% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

Playa del Carmen pays 109% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $17.00 in Dasmarinas vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $160 vs $258 per month, with Dasmarinas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dasmarinas

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:09 1:09 AM

12:09 12:09 PM

13 h behind Dasmarinas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

659,019

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dasmarinas Playa del Carmen 15,070 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Dasmarinas
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

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

Dasmarinas and Playa del Carmen differ by about 143% in total monthly costs ($496 vs $1,204 including rent). Dasmarinas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 109% lower in Playa del Carmen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $134 in Dasmarinas versus $201 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 Dasmarinas – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $496 in Dasmarinas versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dasmarinas but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Dasmarinas 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.

Safety-wise, Dasmarinas and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dasmarinas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 143% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.