Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Dominican Republic and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in the Dominican Republic: $1,035 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
$1,035
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: The Dominican Republic is 27.2% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 14.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: The Dominican Republic is 15.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 25.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dominican Republic
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.40 DOP 511
$10.97 MX$201
-23.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.2 DOP 3,053
$44.85 MX$823
11.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.60 DOP 463
$11.92 MX$219
-36.24%
Cappuccino
$2.03 DOP 124
$3.80 MX$69.9
-46.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 DOP 62.1
$1.31 MX$24.08
-22.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 DOP 38.28
$0.86 MX$15.72
-26.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.50 DOP 152
$3.21 MX$59.0
-22.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.23 DOP 258
$5.01 MX$92.0
-15.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dominican Republic
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 DOP 80.3
$1.46 MX$26.77
-9.59%
White Bread (500g)
$1.74 DOP 106
$2.33 MX$42.72
-25.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.52 DOP 92.7
$1.44 MX$26.48
5.56%
Eggs
$1.77 DOP 108
$2.46 MX$45.20
-28.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.81 DOP 475
$7.70 MX$141
1.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.12 DOP 372
$7.89 MX$145
-22.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.79 DOP 413
$12.80 MX$235
-46.95%
Apples (1kg)
$3.26 DOP 198
$2.92 MX$53.6
11.64%
Banana (1kg)
$0.89 DOP 54.0
$1.42 MX$26.11
-37.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.77 DOP 169
$2.57 MX$47.10
7.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.68 DOP 102
$2.14 MX$39.24
-21.50%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 DOP 132
$1.95 MX$35.75
10.77%
Onion (1kg)
$2.20 DOP 134
$1.94 MX$35.55
13.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.98 DOP 59.6
$1.15 MX$21.13
-14.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 DOP 59.4
$1.22 MX$22.42
-19.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.38 DOP 327
$4.38 MX$80.3
22.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.24 DOP 623
$9.85 MX$181
3.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.81 DOP 171
$1.54 MX$28.23
82.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.23 DOP 196
$2.72 MX$49.86
18.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Dominican Republic
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.65 DOP 39.44
$0.52 MX$9.64
25.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.17 DOP 1,228
$27.42 MX$503
-26.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.38 DOP 206
$4.91 MX$90.2
-31.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.17 DOP 132
$3.52 MX$64.7
-38.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.97 DOP 363
$5.69 MX$104
4.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 DOP 82.3
$1.54 MX$28.27
-12.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.6K DOP 1.4M
$21.2K MX$389.9K
11.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K DOP 1.9M
$24.5K MX$449.6K
29.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dominican Republic
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.0 DOP 5,844
$83.6 MX$1,535
14.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.88 DOP 1,515
$24.03 MX$441
3.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.65 DOP 2,170
$29.33 MX$539
21.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dominican Republic
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.85 DOP 1,817
$64.9 MX$1,191
-53.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.98 DOP 1,399
$29.46 MX$541
-22.00%
Cinema Ticket
$6.83 DOP 416
$5.09 MX$93.4
34.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dominican Republic
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$210 DOP 12.8K
$208 MX$3,813
1.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,530 DOP 397.5K
$4,045 MX$74.3K
61.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dominican Republic
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.66 DOP 2,475
$44.55 MX$818
-8.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.18 DOP 2,750
$42.06 MX$772
7.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.2 DOP 5,002
$75.5 MX$1,387
8.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 DOP 6,446
$91.4 MX$1,678
15.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dominican Republic
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$600 DOP 36.5K
$986 MX$18.1K
-39.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$332 DOP 20.2K
$385 MX$7,072
-13.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,253 DOP 76.3K
$1,713 MX$31.5K
-26.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$637 DOP 38.7K
$1,108 MX$20.4K
-42.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,198 DOP 133.8K
$4,016 MX$73.7K
-45.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,136 DOP 69.1K
$6,247 MX$114.7K
-81.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dominican Republic
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$547 DOP 33.3K
$758 MX$13.9K
-27.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.99
11.45
13.45%

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

Last update for the Dominican Republic: 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
Dominican Republic
$332
Playa del Carmen
$385 16% $53
Groceries & Markets
Dominican Republic
$227
Playa del Carmen
$260 14.8% $34
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dominican Republic
$157
Playa del Carmen
$137 12.5% $20
Eating Out
Dominican Republic
$142
Playa del Carmen
$204 43.7% $62
Clothing & Footwear
Dominican Republic
$123
Playa del Carmen
$114 7.4% $9.2
Sport & Entertainment
Dominican Republic
$44
Playa del Carmen
$75 72.4% $32
Getting Around
Dominican Republic
$37
Playa del Carmen
$52 40.6% $15
Good to know
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
09:52 9:52 AM
08:52 8:52 AM
1 h behind the Dominican Republic
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
10,760,028
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 60.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.21 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dominican Republic Playa del Carmen 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Dominican Republic
  • 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

Dominican Republic vs other spots: cost of living compared

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