Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kilifi and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kilifi: $634 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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

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Kilifi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$634

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $634 per month in Kilifi vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kilifi $634
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,049 per month in Kilifi vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kilifi $1,049
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,465 per month in Kilifi vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kilifi $1,465
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Kilifi is about 48% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kilifi and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Kilifi 53% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 KES 246

$10.76 MX$199

-82.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.32 KES 6,394

$43.03 MX$795

14.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.29 KES 297

$11.79 MX$218

-80.58%

Cappuccino

$1.99 KES 257

$3.87 MX$71.4

-48.58%

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

$0.81 KES 105

$1.37 MX$25.29

-40.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 KES 96.2

$0.84 MX$15.44

-11.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 KES 196

$3.10 MX$57.3

-50.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 KES 137

$1.44 MX$26.55

-26.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 KES 114

$2.23 MX$41.23

-60.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 KES 260

$1.47 MX$27.17

36.73%

Eggs

$1.94 KES 251

$2.53 MX$46.71

-23.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.89 KES 1,023

$12.79 MX$236

-38.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 KES 296

$2.90 MX$53.6

-21.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 KES 90.9

$1.44 MX$26.53

-51.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 KES 232

$2.55 MX$47.07

-29.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 KES 57.7

$2.06 MX$38.03

-78.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 KES 103

$2.00 MX$36.97

-60.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 KES 103

$2.01 MX$37.07

-60.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 KES 28.39

$1.26 MX$23.23

-82.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

Wine (Bottle)

$12.67 KES 1,643

$9.59 MX$177

32.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 KES 222

$1.59 MX$29.41

8.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 KES 95.7

$0.57 MX$10.47

29.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.67 KES 3,457

$27.82 MX$514

-4.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 KES 171

$1.47 MX$27.08

-10.20%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

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

$15.65 KES 2,029

$84.2 MX$1,556

-81.42%

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

$10.43 KES 1,353

$23.99 MX$443

-56.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.11 KES 3,255

$29.02 MX$536

-13.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.40 KES 3,552

$63.0 MX$1,164

-56.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$7.52 KES 974

$4.94 MX$91.3

52.23%

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

$160 KES 20.8K

$204 MX$3,763

-21.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,984 KES 646.1K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

26.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.82 KES 1,273

$43.60 MX$806

-77.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$8.90 KES 1,154

$43.12 MX$797

-79.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$15.50 KES 2,009

$75.8 MX$1,400

-79.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$17.60 KES 2,282

$88.6 MX$1,637

-80.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 KES 42.7K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-67.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 KES 39.3K

$374 MX$6,911

-18.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 KES 35.4K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-84.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 KES 73.9K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-48.50%

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)

$227 KES 29.4K

$754 MX$13.9K

-69.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-30.13%

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

Last update for Kilifi: October 13, 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

Kilifi

–

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Groceries & Markets

Kilifi

–

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Eating Out

Kilifi

–

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kilifi

–

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Kilifi

–

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Kilifi

–

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Getting Around

Kilifi

–

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $329 in Kilifi 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 233% 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 $49.00 in Kilifi versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $124 in Kilifi vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Kilifi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Kilifi

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

11:39 11:39 AM

8 h behind Kilifi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,899

149,923

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 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 KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kilifi Playa del Carmen 13,980 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Kilifi
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $634 in Kilifi, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 91% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $951 per month in Kilifi 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 Kilifi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $160 per month in Kilifi and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 108% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kilifi, where all-in costs run around $634, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Kilifi 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 $634 in Kilifi to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Kilifi. 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.