Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grand Bay and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Grand Bay and in Playa del Carmen: $1,176 and $1,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Grand Bay
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Grand Bay Living Index
59

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

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Grand Bay

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$1,176

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,176 in Grand Bay versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Grand Bay $1,176
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,240 in Grand Bay versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Grand Bay $2,240
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,304 in Grand Bay versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Grand Bay $3,304
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Grand Bay costs roughly 3% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Grand Bay 13% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.67 MUR 267

$10.76 MX$199

-47.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 MUR 2,951

$43.03 MX$795

45.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.00 MUR 330

$11.79 MX$218

-40.63%

Cappuccino

$2.60 MUR 122

$3.87 MX$71.4

-32.82%

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

$1.18 MUR 55.7

$1.37 MX$25.29

-13.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 MUR 29.89

$0.84 MX$15.44

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MUR 126

$3.10 MX$57.3

-13.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 MUR 223

$5.07 MX$93.6

-6.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 MUR 65.7

$1.44 MX$26.55

-2.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 MUR 33.65

$2.23 MX$41.23

-68.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 MUR 51.6

$1.47 MX$27.17

-25.17%

Eggs

$2.42 MUR 114

$2.53 MX$46.71

-4.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.36 MUR 959

$7.30 MX$135

178.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.27 MUR 295

$7.86 MX$145

-20.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.35 MUR 1,005

$12.79 MX$236

66.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 MUR 88.3

$2.90 MX$53.6

-35.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 MUR 95.7

$1.44 MX$26.53

40.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 MUR 67.7

$2.55 MX$47.07

-43.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 MUR 137

$2.06 MX$38.03

41.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 MUR 44.73

$2.00 MX$36.97

-52.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 MUR 46.62

$2.01 MX$37.07

-50.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 MUR 32.89

$1.19 MX$22.02

-41.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MUR 26.59

$1.26 MX$23.23

-55.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 MUR 310

$4.40 MX$81.4

49.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.28 MUR 390

$9.59 MX$177

-13.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MUR 79.4

$1.59 MX$29.41

6.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 MUR 95.8

$2.81 MX$51.9

-27.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 MUR 48.61

$0.57 MX$10.47

80.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.31 MUR 203

$4.98 MX$92.1

-13.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 MUR 115

$3.50 MX$64.6

-30.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.86 MUR 982

$5.40 MX$99.8

286.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MUR 66.3

$1.47 MX$27.08

-4.08%

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

$34.4K MUR 1.6M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

63.82%

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

$36.3K MUR 1.7M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

51.71%

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

$45.51 MUR 2,143

$84.2 MX$1,556

-45.96%

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

$15.73 MUR 741

$23.99 MX$443

-34.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.36 MUR 1,383

$29.02 MX$536

1.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 MUR 2,713

$63.0 MX$1,164

-8.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 MUR 305

$4.94 MX$91.3

30.97%

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

$125 MUR 5,881

$204 MX$3,763

-38.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,478 MUR 352.1K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

89.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.7 MUR 2,857

$43.60 MX$806

39.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 MUR 2,954

$43.12 MX$797

45.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MUR 5,038

$75.8 MX$1,400

41.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 MUR 4,084

$88.6 MX$1,637

-2.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 MUR 28.0K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-41.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 MUR 21.0K

$374 MX$6,911

19.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,067 MUR 97.3K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

20.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 MUR 69.5K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

33.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,289 MUR 60.7K

$754 MX$13.9K

70.95%

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 Grand Bay: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grand Bay

$447 38%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 16.3% $73

Groceries & Markets

Grand Bay

$277 23.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 6.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Grand Bay

$143 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 20.8% $30

Eating Out

Grand Bay

$128 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 58.4% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grand Bay

$91 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 51.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Grand Bay

$71 6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 3.3% $2.3

Getting Around

Grand Bay

$21 * 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 155% $32

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 $595 in Grand Bay and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Grand Bay pays 71% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in Grand Bay vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Grand Bay

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

10:15 10:15 AM

9 h behind Grand Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,900

149,923

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Grand Bay Playa del Carmen 16,340 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Grand Bay
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

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

Grand Bay is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 71% higher in Grand Bay, 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: $595 in Grand Bay versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $125 in Grand Bay versus $204 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 Grand Bay – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,176 in Grand Bay versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Grand Bay but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Grand Bay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Grand Bay is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Grand Bay 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 Grand Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.