Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Davao and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Davao: $839 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Davao
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Davao Living Index
58

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

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Davao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$839

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $839 in Davao versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Davao $839
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,275 in Davao versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Davao $1,275
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,712 in Davao versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Davao $1,712
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Davao costs roughly 30% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Davao 38% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.71 ₱300

$10.92 MX$205

-56.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.33 ₱1,677

$43.37 MX$815

-39.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.83 ₱244

$11.78 MX$221

-67.49%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ₱161

$3.81 MX$71.6

-33.60%

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

$1.06 ₱67.5

$1.28 MX$24.10

-17.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₱39.75

$0.78 MX$14.71

-20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ₱97.3

$3.17 MX$59.5

-51.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₱151

$4.93 MX$92.7

-51.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 ₱125

$1.41 MX$26.43

39.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 ₱68.2

$2.22 MX$41.66

-51.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ₱58.1

$1.42 MX$26.64

-35.92%

Eggs

$1.84 ₱117

$2.52 MX$47.41

-26.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 ₱408

$7.26 MX$137

-11.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 ₱293

$7.70 MX$145

-40.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.97 ₱572

$12.69 MX$239

-29.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 ₱171

$2.78 MX$52.3

-3.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.5

$1.37 MX$25.71

-22.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 ₱155

$2.55 MX$47.94

-4.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ₱72.5

$2.12 MX$39.90

-46.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 ₱126

$1.94 MX$36.43

2.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.35 ₱214

$1.89 MX$35.44

77.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ₱78.9

$1.15 MX$21.55

7.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₱45.16

$1.18 MX$22.16

-39.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 ₱157

$4.30 MX$80.7

-42.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 ₱509

$9.95 MX$187

-19.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱80.7

$1.58 MX$29.76

-19.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₱101

$2.67 MX$50.2

-40.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₱13.37

$0.55 MX$10.40

-61.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.16 ₱838

$26.62 MX$500

-50.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.5

$4.97 MX$93.4

-83.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.37

$3.33 MX$62.6

-92.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 ₱117

$5.36 MX$101

-65.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₱77.4

$1.44 MX$27.14

-15.28%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$20.7K MX$388.4K

3.25%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-18.84%

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

$105 ₱6,681

$84.8 MX$1,594

23.72%

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

$19.14 ₱1,219

$23.41 MX$440

-18.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.17 ₱1,921

$28.66 MX$539

5.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.37 ₱2,189

$57.1 MX$1,072

-39.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.44 ₱219

$28.91 MX$543

-88.10%

Cinema Ticket

$4.75 ₱303

$5.14 MX$96.6

-7.59%

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

$104 ₱6,643

$207 MX$3,882

-49.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,536 ₱480.0K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

91.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 ₱3,888

$43.35 MX$815

40.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.74 ₱1,958

$41.44 MX$779

-25.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 ₱4,438

$74.2 MX$1,394

-6.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.1 ₱3,827

$89.3 MX$1,677

-32.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$350 ₱22.3K

$980 MX$18.4K

-64.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 ₱14.6K

$381 MX$7,157

-39.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 ₱46.0K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-57.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 ₱25.7K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-62.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,584 ₱100.9K

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-59.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,364 ₱86.9K

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-77.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$207 ₱13.2K

$735 MX$13.8K

-71.81%

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 Davao: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Davao

$229 27.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 66.2% $152

Groceries & Markets

Davao

$197 23.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 29.2% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Davao

$154 18.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 11.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Davao

$100 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 12% $12

Eating Out

Davao

$99 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 105% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Davao

$44 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 53.5% $23

Getting Around

Davao

$16 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 215% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $350 in Davao and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $26 in Davao vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $255 per month, with Davao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Davao

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

01:56 1:56 AM

13 h behind Davao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,632,991

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Davao Playa del Carmen 15,300 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Davao
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

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

Davao is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Davao. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $350 in Davao versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Davao – 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.

All in, you’ll spend $839 per month in Davao versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Davao is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $839 in Davao versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Davao but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Davao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Davao is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Davao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.