Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Portal and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort Portal: $364 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in Fort Portal
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Fort Portal Living Index
57

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

Jump to prices

Fort Portal

🇺🇬 Uganda

$364

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $364 per month in Fort Portal vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Fort Portal $364
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $574 per month in Fort Portal vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Fort Portal $574
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $783 per month in Fort Portal vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Fort Portal $783
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Fort Portal is about 70% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fort Portal and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Fort Portal 73% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.37 UGX 10.1K

$10.67 MX$199

-77.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.66 UGX 101.1K

$43.80 MX$815

-45.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 UGX 29.6K

$11.79 MX$219

-41.22%

Cappuccino

$2.46 UGX 10.5K

$3.79 MX$70.5

-35.09%

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

$0.37 UGX 1,565

$1.30 MX$24.14

-71.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 UGX 1,017

$0.83 MX$15.51

-71.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 UGX 5,116

$3.15 MX$58.6

-61.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 UGX 7,331

$4.93 MX$91.8

-65.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.27 UGX 1,141

$1.41 MX$26.22

-80.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 UGX 2,888

$2.20 MX$40.86

-69.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 UGX 3,845

$1.47 MX$27.40

-38.78%

Eggs

$1.15 UGX 4,899

$2.50 MX$46.47

-54.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.12 UGX 17.6K

$7.29 MX$136

-43.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.14 UGX 17.7K

$7.95 MX$148

-47.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.12 UGX 13.3K

$12.86 MX$239

-75.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 UGX 8,355

$2.90 MX$53.9

-32.41%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 UGX 3,036

$1.38 MX$25.74

-48.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 UGX 5,119

$2.49 MX$46.36

-51.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 UGX 4,850

$2.03 MX$37.78

-44.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 UGX 5,142

$2.02 MX$37.69

-40.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 UGX 2,417

$1.90 MX$35.42

-70.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 UGX 3,122

$1.14 MX$21.30

-35.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 UGX 2,073

$1.24 MX$23.06

-60.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.30 UGX 9,828

$4.27 MX$79.5

-46.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.57 UGX 19.5K

$9.81 MX$183

-53.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 UGX 2,886

$1.59 MX$29.51

-57.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 UGX 3,966

$2.75 MX$51.1

-66.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 UGX 2,093

$4.76 MX$88.6

-89.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 UGX 1,180

$3.25 MX$60.5

-91.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 UGX 12.3K

$5.39 MX$100

-46.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 UGX 4,970

$1.53 MX$28.44

-24.18%

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

$6,927 UGX 29.6M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

-67.35%

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

$6,921 UGX 29.6M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

-70.25%

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

$66.9 UGX 285.9K

$83.5 MX$1,554

-19.86%

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

$11.00 UGX 47.0K

$23.19 MX$431

-52.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.84 UGX 140.4K

$27.61 MX$514

18.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$7.16 UGX 30.6K

$5.00 MX$93.1

43.20%

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

$267 UGX 1.1M

$207 MX$3,854

29.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K UGX 68.8M

$5,231 MX$97.4K

207.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.23 UGX 56.5K

$43.45 MX$809

-69.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.29 UGX 52.5K

$42.54 MX$792

-71.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$30.84 UGX 131.8K

$72.8 MX$1,354

-57.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.94 UGX 174.9K

$88.4 MX$1,645

-53.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.75

11.45

81.22%

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

Last update for Fort Portal: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Fort Portal

$112 30.9%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 129% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Portal

$111 30.4%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 21.2% $24

Eating Out

Fort Portal

$81 22.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 147% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Portal

$44 12%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 154% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Portal

$14 * 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 364% $52

Getting Around

Fort Portal

$1.9 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2598% $49

Accommodation & Living

Fort Portal

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Fort Portal versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $112 vs $257 – making Fort Portal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Fort Portal

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

18:15 6:15 PM

8 h behind Fort Portal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,275

149,923

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.34 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.08 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to UGX – Ugandan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇬 Ugandan Shilling (Sh)

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4,273 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.34 USD). 1 EUR = 4,811 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.08 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to UGX in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Fort Portal Playa del Carmen 12,810 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Portal
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 230% more than Fort Portal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $546 per month in Fort Portal and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Fort Portal and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 129% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Fort Portal, where all-in costs run around $364, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Fort Portal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $364 in Fort Portal to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.