Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durbanville and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Durbanville and in Playa del Carmen: $1,153 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

56

Cost of Living Index in Durbanville
Learn more

Durbanville Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Durbanville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,153

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,153 per month in Durbanville vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Durbanville $1,153
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,834 per month in Durbanville vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Durbanville $1,834
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,516 per month in Durbanville vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Durbanville $2,516
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Durbanville is about 4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Durbanville and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Durbanville 15% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 R 205

$10.92 MX$204

12.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.72 R 778

$43.37 MX$808

7.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.00 R 100.0

$11.78 MX$220

-49.07%

Cappuccino

$2.46 R 41.00

$3.81 MX$71.0

-35.43%

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

$0.94 R 15.71

$1.28 MX$23.90

-26.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 R 10.55

$0.78 MX$14.59

-19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 R 40.01

$3.17 MX$59.0

-24.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 R 46.60

$4.93 MX$92.0

-43.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 22.11

$1.41 MX$26.22

-5.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 R 20.42

$2.22 MX$41.33

-44.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 R 36.04

$1.42 MX$26.42

52.11%

Eggs

$3.24 R 54.0

$2.52 MX$47.03

28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 R 149

$7.26 MX$135

23.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.85 R 114

$7.70 MX$143

-11.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 R 161

$12.69 MX$237

-23.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.79

$2.78 MX$51.9

-31.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 R 32.07

$1.37 MX$25.50

40.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.49

$2.55 MX$47.55

-30.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 R 36.06

$2.12 MX$39.58

1.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.76

$1.94 MX$36.13

-20.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$1.89 MX$35.16

-21.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.69

$1.15 MX$21.37

13.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 19.21

$1.18 MX$21.98

-2.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.6

$4.30 MX$80.1

-16.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 R 99.1

$9.95 MX$185

-40.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.49

$1.58 MX$29.52

-10.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 R 36.53

$2.67 MX$49.79

-17.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.60

$0.55 MX$10.31

180.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.81

$4.97 MX$92.6

-88.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.52

$3.33 MX$62.1

-54.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 R 85.3

$5.36 MX$99.8

-4.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 R 26.78

$1.44 MX$26.92

11.81%

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

$35.5K R 591.6K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

71.79%

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

$34.4K R 572.5K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

46.40%

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

$116 R 1,931

$84.8 MX$1,581

36.69%

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

$29.03 R 484

$23.41 MX$436

24.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.89 R 681

$28.66 MX$534

42.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.91 R 532

$57.1 MX$1,063

-44.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.78 R 180

$28.91 MX$539

-62.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 R 153

$5.14 MX$95.8

78.79%

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

$266 R 4,435

$207 MX$3,851

28.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,797 R 113.3K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

73.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 R 927

$43.35 MX$808

28.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.11 R 535

$41.44 MX$772

-22.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 R 2,000

$74.2 MX$1,383

61.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,787

$89.3 MX$1,664

20.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 R 6,506

$980 MX$18.3K

-60.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 R 6,073

$381 MX$7,099

-4.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 R 12.2K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-56.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 R 12.2K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-31.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$866 R 14.4K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-78.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$683 R 11.4K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-88.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,033 R 17.2K

$735 MX$13.7K

40.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

11.45

-4.19%

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

Last update for Durbanville: October 25, 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

Durbanville

$364 31.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 4.5% $16

Groceries & Markets

Durbanville

$226 19.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 12.6% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durbanville

$186 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 26.4% $49

Eating Out

Durbanville

$170 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 19.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Durbanville

$142 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 21.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Durbanville

$50 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 33.9% $17

Getting Around

Durbanville

$14 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 251% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $390 in Durbanville 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 run about 41% higher in Durbanville, 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 $47 in Durbanville versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $226 in Durbanville vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Durbanville wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durbanville

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

11:03 11:03 AM

7 h behind Durbanville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,000

149,923

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Durbanville Playa del Carmen 12,680 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Durbanville
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 4% more than Durbanville, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,729 per month in Durbanville 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 Durbanville, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $390 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,153 in Durbanville and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 4%.

Kindergarten costs $266 per month in Durbanville and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,153 in Durbanville and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,153 in Durbanville to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.