Cost of Living Comparison Between Flic en Flac and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Flic en Flac and Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,179 in Flic en Flac versus $1,271 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,755 in Flic en Flac versus $2,126 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,332 in Flic en Flac versus $2,980 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Flic en Flac costs roughly 7% less than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Flic en Flac 12% lower, Playa del Carmen 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.58 MUR 310

$11.87 MX$204

-44.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.52 MUR 2,332

$42.90 MX$736

15.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 MUR 346

$10.65 MX$183

-30.99%

Cappuccino

$2.66 MUR 125

$3.45 MX$59.2

-22.90%

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

$1.03 MUR 48.39

$1.50 MX$25.81

-31.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 MUR 26.23

$0.95 MX$16.28

-41.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.33 MUR 204

$3.03 MX$51.9

42.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 MUR 151

$4.61 MX$79.1

-30.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MUR 67.9

$1.38 MX$23.61

4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 MUR 30.43

$1.85 MX$31.70

-64.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 MUR 60.4

$1.61 MX$27.65

-20.50%

Eggs

$2.10 MUR 99.1

$2.59 MX$44.51

-18.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.07 MUR 521

$8.26 MX$142

34.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.15 MUR 290

$8.37 MX$144

-26.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.75 MUR 601

$10.66 MX$183

19.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 MUR 93.9

$2.63 MX$45.12

-24.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MUR 91.7

$1.49 MX$25.53

30.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 MUR 68.6

$1.92 MX$32.94

-23.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 MUR 125

$2.09 MX$35.81

26.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 MUR 46.52

$1.86 MX$31.88

-46.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 MUR 47.08

$2.26 MX$38.81

-55.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 MUR 38.02

$1.06 MX$18.23

-23.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MUR 24.21

$1.09 MX$18.67

-53.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.70 MUR 268

$4.15 MX$71.2

37.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 MUR 405

$10.39 MX$178

-17.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 MUR 83.9

$1.72 MX$29.59

3.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 MUR 65.5

$2.61 MX$44.85

-46.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 MUR 42.80

$0.54 MX$9.30

68.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 MX$462

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 MUR 207

$3.13 MX$53.7

40.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 MUR 124

$2.51 MX$43.09

4.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.21 MUR 528

$3.15 MX$54.1

255.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MUR 68.6

$1.27 MX$21.88

14.96%

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

$35.5K MUR 1.7M

$30.4K MX$521.3K

17.00%

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

$28.4K MUR 1.3M

$23.6K MX$404.5K

20.39%

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

$50.4 MUR 2,372

$83.0 MX$1,425

-39.30%

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

$18.08 MUR 851

$22.71 MX$390

-20.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.40 MUR 1,573

$29.46 MX$506

13.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.25 MUR 2,178

$51.0 MX$875

-9.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 MX$315

Cinema Ticket

$6.07 MUR 286

$4.93 MX$84.5

23.12%

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

$109 MUR 5,120

$197 MX$3,386

-44.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,666 MUR 125.5K

$5,280 MX$90.6K

-49.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.36 MUR 1,571

$36.90 MX$633

-9.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.37 MUR 1,524

$39.89 MX$685

-18.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MUR 5,139

$80.0 MX$1,373

36.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 MUR 4,428

$89.5 MX$1,536

5.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 MUR 27.1K

$956 MX$16.4K

-39.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$506 MUR 23.8K

$477 MX$8,189

5.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 MUR 44.5K

$1,646 MX$28.3K

-42.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$757 MUR 35.7K

$1,225 MX$21.0K

-38.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,918 MX$67.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,459 MX$110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$697 MUR 32.8K

$667 MX$11.4K

4.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

-47.46%

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

Last update for Flic en Flac: June 8, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $575 in Flic en Flac and $956 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Flic en Flac pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50.0 in Flic en Flac vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $221 vs $250, with Flic en Flac cheaper for home cooking.

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

Flic en Flac vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Flic en Flac wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Flic en Flac the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Flic en Flac pays 4% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $575 in Flic en Flac versus $956 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $109 in Flic en Flac versus $197 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Flic en Flac – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,179 in Flic en Flac versus $1,271 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Flic en Flac but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Flic en Flac the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Flic en Flac delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,179 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Flic en Flac hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Flic en Flac and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Flic en Flac gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.