Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kimberley and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kimberley: $1,138 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $790 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Kimberley
Learn more

Kimberley Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Kimberley

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,138

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,138 per month in Kimberley vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kimberley $1,138
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,907 per month in Kimberley vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kimberley $1,907
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,676 per month in Kimberley vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kimberley $2,676
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Kimberley is about 5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Kimberley and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Kimberley 16% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.12 R 200

$10.86 MX$201

11.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.35 R 599

$44.21 MX$817

-17.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.22 R 103

$11.76 MX$217

-47.11%

Cappuccino

$2.99 R 49.32

$3.68 MX$68.0

-18.75%

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

$1.29 R 21.17

$1.34 MX$24.79

-3.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 R 21.49

$0.82 MX$15.24

58.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.79 R 45.92

$3.06 MX$56.6

-8.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 R 44.00

$4.94 MX$91.2

-45.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.47 MX$27.17

5.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 R 19.03

$2.22 MX$40.95

-47.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 R 48.49

$1.48 MX$27.32

98.65%

Eggs

$2.91 R 48.01

$2.49 MX$45.99

16.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.52 R 107

$7.52 MX$139

-13.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.89 R 97.0

$7.96 MX$147

-26.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.33 R 137

$12.57 MX$232

-33.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 R 38.64

$2.78 MX$51.3

-15.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 R 40.25

$1.43 MX$26.37

70.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.25

$2.62 MX$48.37

-32.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 R 55.0

$2.14 MX$39.49

56.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 24.99

$2.02 MX$37.38

-24.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 R 23.18

$1.99 MX$36.74

-29.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.14 MX$21.01

21.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 14.76

$1.20 MX$22.18

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 R 54.0

$4.26 MX$78.7

-23.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.56 R 108

$10.02 MX$185

-34.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 R 37.83

$1.54 MX$28.41

49.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 R 47.29

$2.66 MX$49.17

7.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 R 25.15

$0.53 MX$9.73

188.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.18 R 547

$27.51 MX$508

20.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.55

$4.90 MX$90.6

-88.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 R 13.51

$3.43 MX$63.5

-76.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.15 R 217

$5.38 MX$99.4

144.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 23.81

$1.45 MX$26.76

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

$37.5K R 617.3K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

77.10%

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

$38.3K R 630.5K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

66.25%

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

$108 R 1,772

$85.4 MX$1,577

26.01%

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

$35.15 R 579

$23.46 MX$434

49.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.40 R 699

$28.43 MX$525

49.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.40 R 369

$62.2 MX$1,149

-63.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.56 R 174

$28.68 MX$530

-63.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.16 R 118

$5.10 MX$94.3

40.39%

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

$242 R 3,981

$201 MX$3,715

20.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,107 R 100.6K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

54.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 R 897

$44.39 MX$820

22.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.14 R 497

$41.35 MX$764

-27.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R 1,669

$72.7 MX$1,344

39.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 R 1,495

$89.6 MX$1,656

1.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 R 4,329

$979 MX$18.1K

-73.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 R 5,574

$373 MX$6,887

-9.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 R 10.6K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-61.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$928 R 15.3K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-15.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 R 13.3K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-79.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$619 R 10.2K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-89.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$949 R 15.6K

$738 MX$13.6K

28.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.45

-4.45%

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

Last update for Kimberley: October 20, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kimberley

$338 29.7%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 10.2% $34

Groceries & Markets

Kimberley

$229 20.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 13% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kimberley

$185 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 25.9% $48

Eating Out

Kimberley

$181 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 10.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Kimberley

$124 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 10.3% $13

Getting Around

Kimberley

$44 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 17.6% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Kimberley

$37 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 97.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $263 in Kimberley versus $979 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 29% higher in Kimberley, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Kimberley versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $258 – making Kimberley the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Kimberley

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:17 1:17 PM

06:17 6:17 AM

7 h behind Kimberley

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

225,160

149,923

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kimberley Playa del Carmen 13,160 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Kimberley
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,708 per month in Kimberley and $1,806 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 Kimberley, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,138 in Kimberley and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Kimberley. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kimberley, where all-in costs run around $1,138, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Kimberley it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kimberley – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Kimberley. 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.