Cost of Living Comparison Between Douala and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Douala and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Douala is 34.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 32.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Douala is 43.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 21.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Douala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.72 FCFA 4,926
$11.85 MX$210
-26.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$126 FCFA 71.1K
$42.16 MX$746
198.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.36 FCFA 3,027
$10.75 MX$190
-50.14%
Cappuccino
$1.80 FCFA 1,016
$3.47 MX$61.5
-48.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 FCFA 948
$1.45 MX$25.72
15.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 FCFA 445
$0.90 MX$15.98
-12.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.16 FCFA 658
$3.05 MX$54.1
-61.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 FCFA 1,484
$4.42 MX$78.2
-40.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Douala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.93 FCFA 1,656
$1.37 MX$24.24
113.87%
White Bread (500g)
$0.44 FCFA 251
$1.87 MX$33.14
-76.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.30 FCFA 1,298
$1.54 MX$27.32
49.35%
Eggs
$2.01 FCFA 1,134
$2.50 MX$44.31
-19.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$22.67 FCFA 12.8K
$8.61 MX$152
163.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 FCFA 4,463
$8.63 MX$153
-8.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.33 FCFA 3,578
$11.02 MX$195
-42.56%
Apples (1kg)
$4.85 FCFA 2,742
$2.75 MX$48.67
76.36%
Banana (1kg)
$2.14 FCFA 1,210
$1.43 MX$25.28
49.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.16 FCFA 1,219
$1.87 MX$33.15
15.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.41 FCFA 799
$2.17 MX$38.37
-35.02%
Potato (1kg)
$3.43 FCFA 1,936
$1.88 MX$33.33
82.45%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 FCFA 1,270
$2.25 MX$39.76
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.73 FCFA 414
$1.07 MX$18.90
-31.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.64 FCFA 361
$1.07 MX$19.00
-40.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.51 FCFA 1,983
$4.15 MX$73.5
-15.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.32 FCFA 4,701
$10.34 MX$183
-19.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 FCFA 805
$1.68 MX$29.72
-15.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 FCFA 1,057
$2.48 MX$43.97
-24.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Douala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 FCFA 383
$0.55 MX$9.82
23.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.95 FCFA 10.1K
$26.53 MX$470
-32.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.51 FCFA 288
$3.22 MX$56.9
-84.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.81 FCFA 459
$2.48 MX$43.93
-67.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.20 FCFA 4,635
$3.11 MX$55.0
163.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.37 FCFA 774
$1.26 MX$22.22
8.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.4K FCFA 17.2M
$30.7K MX$542.7K
-0.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.8K FCFA 8.9M
$24.0K MX$425.5K
-34.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Douala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$165 FCFA 93.5K
$82.5 MX$1,460
100.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.13 FCFA 14.8K
$22.29 MX$394
17.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$180 FCFA 101.9K
$30.02 MX$531
500.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Douala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.26 FCFA 13.1K
$51.4 MX$911
-54.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.49 FCFA 1,971
$18.29 MX$324
-80.92%
Cinema Ticket
$8.68 FCFA 4,906
$4.98 MX$88.2
74.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Douala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$538 FCFA 303.9K
$200 MX$3,540
168.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,442 FCFA 1.9M
$5,304 MX$93.9K
-35.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Douala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$81.4 FCFA 46.0K
$35.71 MX$632
128.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$70.0 FCFA 39.6K
$39.56 MX$700
77.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$142 FCFA 80.0K
$80.6 MX$1,426
75.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 FCFA 87.0K
$88.3 MX$1,563
74.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Douala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$924 FCFA 522.0K
$969 MX$17.2K
-4.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$581 FCFA 328.5K
$482 MX$8,535
20.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,895 FCFA 1.1M
$1,595 MX$28.2K
18.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,101 FCFA 622.4K
$1,184 MX$21.0K
-6.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,069 FCFA 1.2M
$4,050 MX$71.7K
-48.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$990 FCFA 559.6K
$6,522 MX$115.4K
-84.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Douala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$168 FCFA 94.8K
$756 MX$13.4K
-77.83%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
19.21
11.42
68.21%

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

Last update for Douala: March 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities