Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dili and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,574 in Dili, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dili outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Dili
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Dili Living Index
60

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

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Dili

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,574

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,574 per month in Dili vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dili $1,574
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $2,466 per month in Dili vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dili $2,466
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $3,359 per month in Dili vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dili $3,359
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Dili costs about 30% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dili sits 17% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 $5.13

$10.97 MX$201

-53.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.43 $42.43

$44.85 MX$823

-5.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 $7.91

$11.92 MX$219

-33.64%

Cappuccino

$4.18 $4.18

$3.80 MX$69.9

10.00%

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

$1.63 $1.63

$1.31 MX$24.08

24.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$0.86 MX$15.72

220.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.21 MX$59.0

-19.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 $4.46

$5.01 MX$92.0

-10.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.46 MX$26.77

62.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.33 MX$42.72

8.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.44 MX$26.48

-33.33%

Eggs

$2.68 $2.68

$2.46 MX$45.20

8.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$7.70 MX$141

-73.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$7.89 MX$145

19.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$12.80 MX$235

23.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.92 MX$53.6

12.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.42 MX$26.11

30.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.57 MX$47.10

-3.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.14 MX$39.24

5.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.95 MX$35.75

-36.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.94 MX$35.55

-40.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.15 MX$21.13

-26.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.22 MX$22.42

-19.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 $3.08

$4.38 MX$80.3

-29.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.95 $11.95

$9.85 MX$181

21.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.54 MX$28.23

42.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.72 MX$49.86

6.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 $0.24

$0.52 MX$9.64

-53.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.78 $29.78

$27.42 MX$503

8.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$4.91 MX$90.2

-28.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.52 MX$64.7

1.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.75 $19.75

$5.69 MX$104

247.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.54 MX$28.27

-6.49%

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

$18.0K $18.0K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

-15.33%

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

$16.7K $16.7K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

-31.71%

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

$152 $152

$83.6 MX$1,535

81.50%

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

$27.49 $27.49

$24.03 MX$441

14.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.46 $49.46

$64.9 MX$1,191

-23.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 $6.17

$5.09 MX$93.4

21.22%

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

$1,477 $1,477

$208 MX$3,813

611.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K $16.1K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

298.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 $61.0

$44.55 MX$818

36.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.46 $30.46

$42.06 MX$772

-27.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 $79.3

$75.5 MX$1,387

4.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 $60.3

$91.4 MX$1,678

-34.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 $831

$986 MX$18.1K

-15.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 $759

$385 MX$7,072

97.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,739 $2,739

$1,713 MX$31.5K

59.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 $1,504

$1,108 MX$20.4K

35.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,656 $3,656

$758 MX$13.9K

382.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

11.45

-53.10%

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

Last update for Dili: October 5, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dili

$759 47.9%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 49.3% $374

Groceries & Markets

Dili

$275 17.3%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 5.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dili

$179 * 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 23.6% $42

Eating Out

Dili

$154 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 32.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Dili

$104 6.6%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 9.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Dili

$62 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 21.4% $13

Getting Around

Dili

$52 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 0.2% $0.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $831 in Dili versus $986 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 run about 382% higher in Dili, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Dili versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $275 in Dili vs $260 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇱 Dili

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:54 4:54 PM

02:54 2:54 AM

14 h behind Dili

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,323 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dili Playa del Carmen 16,260 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Dili
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

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

Yes – Dili is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,361 per month in Dili and $1,823 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Dili and $45.00 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 $1,574 in Dili and $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 30%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Dili at $1,574. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dili it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – 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 Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dili makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.