Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Douala and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,334 in Douala, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Douala
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Douala Living Index
58

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

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Douala

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$1,334

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,334 per month in Douala vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Douala $1,334
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,160 per month in Douala vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Douala $2,160
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,985 per month in Douala vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Douala $2,985
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Douala costs about 11% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Douala and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Douala 2% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.37 FCFA 2,558

$10.92 MX$205

-59.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 FCFA 71.1K

$43.37 MX$813

180.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 FCFA 4,053

$11.78 MX$221

-41.17%

Cappuccino

$2.13 FCFA 1,246

$3.81 MX$71.4

-44.09%

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

$1.64 FCFA 960

$1.28 MX$24.03

28.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 FCFA 445

$0.78 MX$14.67

-2.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 FCFA 704

$3.17 MX$59.3

-62.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 FCFA 1,528

$4.93 MX$92.5

-47.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.90 FCFA 1,698

$1.41 MX$26.35

105.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 FCFA 238

$2.22 MX$41.54

-81.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 FCFA 1,277

$1.42 MX$26.56

53.52%

Eggs

$1.85 FCFA 1,082

$2.52 MX$47.27

-26.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.34 FCFA 13.1K

$7.26 MX$136

207.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 FCFA 4,604

$7.70 MX$144

2.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.18 FCFA 3,614

$12.69 MX$238

-51.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 FCFA 2,692

$2.78 MX$52.2

65.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 FCFA 1,185

$1.37 MX$25.64

48.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 FCFA 1,215

$2.55 MX$47.80

-18.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 FCFA 809

$2.12 MX$39.78

-34.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 FCFA 1,860

$1.94 MX$36.32

63.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 FCFA 1,260

$1.89 MX$35.34

13.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 FCFA 443

$1.15 MX$21.49

-33.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 FCFA 391

$1.18 MX$22.09

-43.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.53 FCFA 1,478

$4.30 MX$80.5

-41.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 FCFA 5,024

$9.95 MX$186

-13.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 FCFA 821

$1.58 MX$29.67

-11.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 FCFA 1,041

$2.67 MX$50.1

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 FCFA 388

$0.55 MX$10.37

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.06 FCFA 9,978

$26.62 MX$499

-35.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 FCFA 338

$4.97 MX$93.1

-88.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 FCFA 476

$3.33 MX$62.4

-75.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.33 FCFA 4,871

$5.36 MX$100

55.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 FCFA 824

$1.44 MX$27.06

-2.08%

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

$29.4K FCFA 17.2M

$20.7K MX$387.3K

42.47%

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

$15.6K FCFA 9.1M

$23.5K MX$439.7K

-33.45%

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

$162 FCFA 94.9K

$84.8 MX$1,589

91.27%

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

$25.14 FCFA 14.7K

$23.41 MX$439

7.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$178 FCFA 103.9K

$28.66 MX$537

519.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.23 FCFA 24.1K

$57.1 MX$1,069

-27.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$8.77 FCFA 5,129

$5.14 MX$96.3

70.62%

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

$505 FCFA 295.5K

$207 MX$3,871

144.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,387 FCFA 2.0M

$3,927 MX$73.6K

-13.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.1 FCFA 46.8K

$43.35 MX$812

84.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.1 FCFA 39.8K

$41.44 MX$777

64.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 FCFA 79.6K

$74.2 MX$1,390

83.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 FCFA 86.0K

$89.3 MX$1,672

64.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 FCFA 331.9K

$980 MX$18.4K

-42.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 FCFA 183.0K

$381 MX$7,136

-17.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,338 FCFA 782.7K

$1,708 MX$32.0K

-21.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$542 FCFA 316.9K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-49.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,976 FCFA 1.2M

$3,943 MX$73.9K

-49.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$952 FCFA 556.8K

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-84.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$222 FCFA 129.6K

$735 MX$13.8K

-69.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.04

11.45

66.29%

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

Last update for Douala: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Douala

$365 27.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 62.5% $228

Accommodation & Living

Douala

$313 23.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 21.7% $68

Groceries & Markets

Douala

$277 20.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 8.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Douala

$194 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 42.4% $82

Eating Out

Douala

$102 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 98% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Douala

$59 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 14.5% $8.5

Getting Around

Douala

$24 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 107% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $567 in Douala versus $980 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 in Playa del Carmen are about 3.3 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Douala versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Douala

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:46 5:46 PM

11:46 11:46 AM

6 h behind Douala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,000,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 653 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Douala Playa del Carmen 10,550 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Douala
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

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

Yes – Douala is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,001 per month in Douala and $1,806 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 Douala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $567 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Douala, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Douala and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,334 in Douala and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,334 in Douala. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.