Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gizo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,169 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index
58

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

Jump to prices

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,169

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,169 in Gizo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Gizo $2,169
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,078 in Gizo versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Gizo $3,078
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,987 in Gizo versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Gizo $3,987
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Gizo is roughly 80% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gizo is 59% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.16 SBD 25.48

$10.92 MX$205

-71.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 SBD 451

$43.37 MX$815

28.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.52 SBD 125

$11.78 MX$221

31.75%

Cappuccino

$2.75 SBD 22.12

$3.81 MX$71.6

-27.82%

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

$1.27 SBD 10.26

$1.28 MX$24.10

-0.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 SBD 9.81

$0.78 MX$14.71

56.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 SBD 19.58

$3.17 MX$59.5

-23.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SBD 19.83

$4.93 MX$92.7

-50.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.21 SBD 25.83

$1.41 MX$26.43

127.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 SBD 11.25

$2.22 MX$41.66

-36.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 SBD 11.68

$1.42 MX$26.64

2.11%

Eggs

$7.03 SBD 56.6

$2.52 MX$47.41

178.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 SBD 71.9

$7.26 MX$137

22.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.27 SBD 50.5

$7.70 MX$145

-18.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.54 SBD 68.8

$12.69 MX$239

-32.70%

Apples (1kg)

$6.68 SBD 53.8

$2.78 MX$52.3

140.29%

Banana (1kg)

$6.09 SBD 49.07

$1.37 MX$25.71

344.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.08 SBD 48.95

$2.55 MX$47.94

138.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.14 SBD 25.29

$2.12 MX$39.90

48.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 SBD 24.64

$1.94 MX$36.43

57.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 SBD 19.59

$1.89 MX$35.44

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 SBD 20.38

$1.15 MX$21.55

120.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 SBD 11.08

$1.18 MX$22.16

16.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 SBD 34.14

$4.30 MX$80.7

-1.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.30 SBD 99.1

$9.95 MX$187

23.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SBD 14.77

$1.58 MX$29.76

15.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SBD 18.10

$2.67 MX$50.2

-15.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.11

$0.55 MX$10.40

-29.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.48 SBD 246

$26.62 MX$500

14.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 SBD 10.15

$4.97 MX$93.4

-74.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.55 SBD 20.52

$3.33 MX$62.6

-23.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.61 SBD 102

$5.36 MX$101

135.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 SBD 14.19

$1.44 MX$27.14

22.22%

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

$20.8K SBD 167.7K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

0.76%

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

$21.8K SBD 175.5K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-7.18%

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

$749 SBD 6,033

$84.8 MX$1,594

783.24%

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

$13.86 SBD 112

$23.41 MX$440

-40.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$125 SBD 1,011

$28.66 MX$539

337.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.34 SBD 148

$57.1 MX$1,072

-67.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.30 SBD 50.7

$28.91 MX$543

-78.21%

Cinema Ticket

$4.36 SBD 35.10

$5.14 MX$96.6

-15.18%

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

$125 SBD 1,010

$207 MX$3,882

-39.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,246 SBD 10.0K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

-68.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.56 SBD 206

$43.35 MX$815

-41.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.2 SBD 759

$41.44 MX$779

127.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 SBD 814

$74.2 MX$1,394

36.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 SBD 707

$89.3 MX$1,677

-1.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$593 SBD 4,776

$980 MX$18.4K

-39.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 SBD 4,708

$381 MX$7,157

53.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 SBD 5,015

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-63.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 SBD 10.2K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

17.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$85.7K SBD 690.0K

$3,943 MX$74.1K

2072.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$401 SBD 3,234

$735 MX$13.8K

-45.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.33

11.45

42.62%

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

Last update for Gizo: 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.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gizo

$888 41%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 84.6% $751

Accommodation & Living

Gizo

$584 26.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 34.8% $204

Groceries & Markets

Gizo

$353 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 27.7% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Gizo

$139 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 19.5% $27

Eating Out

Gizo

$132 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 53.5% $71

Getting Around

Gizo

$46 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 9.6% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Gizo

$27 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 149% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $593 in Gizo and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 83% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56 in Gizo vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Gizo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

03:32 3:32 AM

16 h behind Gizo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,177

149,923

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to SBD – Solomon Islands Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands Dollar ($)

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 8.99 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gizo Playa del Carmen 13,040 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Gizo
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Gizo. 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: $593 in Gizo 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 38% higher in Gizo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $56 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,169 in Gizo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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.