Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imus and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Imus: $647 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Imus
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Imus Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Imus

🇵🇭 Philippines

$647

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Imus vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Imus $647
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $965 per month in Imus vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Imus $965
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,283 per month in Imus vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Imus $1,283
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Imus is about 47% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Imus and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Imus 52% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 ₱249

$10.76 MX$199

-63.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.00 ₱1,070

$43.03 MX$795

-60.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.85 ₱179

$11.79 MX$218

-75.83%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₱117

$3.87 MX$71.4

-51.94%

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

$0.56 ₱35.19

$1.37 MX$25.29

-59.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.78

$0.84 MX$15.44

-60.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₱64.2

$3.10 MX$57.3

-67.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₱107

$5.07 MX$93.6

-66.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₱106

$1.44 MX$26.55

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱71.0

$2.23 MX$41.23

-49.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.7

$1.47 MX$27.17

-29.93%

Eggs

$2.08 ₱131

$2.53 MX$46.71

-17.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.18 ₱326

$7.30 MX$135

-29.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ₱210

$7.86 MX$145

-57.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.85 ₱494

$12.79 MX$236

-38.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 ₱143

$2.90 MX$53.6

-21.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ₱101

$1.44 MX$26.53

11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 ₱148

$2.55 MX$47.07

-7.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.06 MX$38.03

-13.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 ₱108

$2.00 MX$36.97

-14.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 ₱109

$2.01 MX$37.07

-13.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ₱41.73

$1.19 MX$22.02

-44.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.10

$1.26 MX$23.23

-61.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 ₱198

$4.40 MX$81.4

-28.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.99 ₱566

$9.59 MX$177

-6.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱71.4

$1.59 MX$29.41

-28.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱125

$2.81 MX$51.9

-29.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.16

$0.57 MX$10.47

-54.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.94 ₱689

$27.82 MX$514

-60.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₱50.2

$4.98 MX$92.1

-83.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.50

$3.50 MX$64.6

-93.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ₱121

$5.40 MX$99.8

-64.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₱76.7

$1.47 MX$27.08

-17.01%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

3.25%

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

$19.5K ₱1.2M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-18.51%

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

$123 ₱7,715

$84.2 MX$1,556

45.51%

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

$15.62 ₱983

$23.99 MX$443

-34.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.34 ₱1,469

$29.02 MX$536

-19.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.55 ₱1,735

$63.0 MX$1,164

-56.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.07 ₱319

$29.14 MX$539

-82.60%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 ₱333

$4.94 MX$91.3

7.09%

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

$134 ₱8,428

$204 MX$3,763

-34.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,820 ₱555.3K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

123.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.14 ₱1,834

$43.60 MX$806

-33.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.72 ₱1,241

$43.12 MX$797

-54.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 ₱4,574

$75.8 MX$1,400

-4.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.8 ₱3,453

$88.6 MX$1,637

-38.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$122 ₱7,660

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-87.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$99.7 ₱6,274

$374 MX$6,911

-73.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$202 ₱12.7K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-88.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$166 ₱10.4K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-85.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,138 ₱134.6K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-45.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,101 ₱69.3K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-82.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$172 ₱10.8K

$754 MX$13.9K

-77.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.45

-41.05%

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

Last update for Imus: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Imus

$180 27.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 43.3% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imus

$161 24.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 15% $24

Accommodation & Living

Imus

$100 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 275% $274

Clothing & Footwear

Imus

$79 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 42.4% $34

Eating Out

Imus

$75 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 171% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Imus

$38 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 91.1% $35

Getting Around

Imus

$14 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 278% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $122 in Imus versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 340% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in Imus versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $180 vs $258 – making Imus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Imus

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

15:45 3:45 PM

13 h behind Imus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

496,794

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Imus Playa del Carmen 15,060 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Imus
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $647 in Imus, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 87% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $971 per month in Imus and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Imus, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in Imus and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Imus, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Imus 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 $647 in Imus to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Imus. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.