Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fiji and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Fiji: $693 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Fiji
Learn more

Fiji Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Fiji

🇫🇯 Fiji

$693

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $693 in Fiji versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Fiji $693
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,145 in Fiji versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Fiji $1,145
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,597 in Fiji versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Fiji $1,597
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Fiji costs roughly 42% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Fiji 49% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.32 FJD 9.64

$10.92 MX$205

-60.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.72 FJD 73.0

$43.37 MX$814

-24.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.41 FJD 14.30

$11.78 MX$221

-45.59%

Cappuccino

$2.39 FJD 5.34

$3.81 MX$71.5

-37.27%

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

$1.34 FJD 2.99

$1.28 MX$24.07

4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 FJD 2.30

$0.78 MX$14.70

32.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.11 FJD 9.18

$3.17 MX$59.5

29.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 FJD 8.68

$4.93 MX$92.7

-21.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 FJD 2.71

$1.41 MX$26.40

-14.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 FJD 0.56

$2.22 MX$41.62

-88.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 FJD 2.04

$1.42 MX$26.61

-35.92%

Eggs

$3.13 FJD 6.98

$2.52 MX$47.36

24.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.50 FJD 23.44

$7.26 MX$136

44.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 FJD 11.99

$7.70 MX$144

-30.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

Apples (1kg)

$1.35 FJD 3.00

$2.78 MX$52.3

-51.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 FJD 2.02

$1.37 MX$25.68

-33.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 FJD 4.05

$2.55 MX$47.89

-28.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 FJD 3.05

$2.12 MX$39.86

-35.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 FJD 1.55

$1.94 MX$36.39

-63.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 FJD 1.64

$1.89 MX$35.41

-60.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 FJD 2.06

$1.15 MX$21.53

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 FJD 1.23

$1.18 MX$22.13

-53.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.95 FJD 24.45

$4.30 MX$80.6

154.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.04 FJD 13.49

$9.95 MX$187

-39.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.05 FJD 9.04

$1.58 MX$29.73

156.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 FJD 8.73

$2.67 MX$50.1

46.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 FJD 1.92

$0.55 MX$10.39

56.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 FJD 2.55

$4.97 MX$93.3

-77.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 FJD 2.83

$1.44 MX$27.11

-11.81%

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

$44.8K FJD 100.0K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

116.89%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

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

$52.4 FJD 117

$84.8 MX$1,592

-38.20%

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

$13.11 FJD 29.26

$23.41 MX$439

-44.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.07 FJD 40.34

$28.66 MX$538

-36.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.50 FJD 50.2

$57.1 MX$1,071

-60.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.33 FJD 9.66

$28.91 MX$543

-85.02%

Cinema Ticket

$4.08 FJD 9.12

$5.14 MX$96.5

-20.62%

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

$44.81 FJD 100

$207 MX$3,878

-78.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.03 FJD 42.47

$43.35 MX$814

-56.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$29.91 FJD 66.8

$74.2 MX$1,393

-59.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 FJD 1,511

$980 MX$18.4K

-30.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 FJD 586

$381 MX$7,150

-31.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,129 FJD 2,519

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-33.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 FJD 1,362

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-43.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,281 FJD 2,858

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-67.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,289 FJD 2,878

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-79.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$533 FJD 1,189

$735 MX$13.8K

-27.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-47.60%

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

Last update for Fiji: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Fiji

$263 37.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 45% $118

Groceries & Markets

Fiji

$169 * 24.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 50.3% $85

Eating Out

Fiji

$120 17.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 68.2% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fiji

$84 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 63.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Fiji

$31 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 120% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Fiji

$22 * 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 407% $90

Getting Around

Fiji

$4.6 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 1002% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $677 in Fiji and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 38% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $33 in Fiji vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $255 per month, with Fiji cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇯 Fiji

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:12 8:12 AM

15:12 3:12 PM

17 h behind Fiji

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,043

149,923

💱 Currency

Fijian Dollar FJD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 FJD = 0.448 USD

1 FJD = 0.401 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to FJD – Fijian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇫🇯 Fijian Dollar ($)

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 2.23 FJD (1 FJD = 0.448 USD). 1 EUR = 2.49 FJD (1 FJD = 0.401 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to FJD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fiji Playa del Carmen 11,150 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Fiji
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

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

Fiji is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Fiji. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $677 in Fiji versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $693 per month in Fiji versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Fiji is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $693 in Fiji versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fiji but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Fiji the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Fiji wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.