Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Luanda and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Luanda: $999 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Luanda
Learn more

Luanda Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Luanda

🇦🇴 Angola

$999

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $999 in Luanda versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Luanda $999
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,896 in Luanda versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Luanda $1,896
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,793 in Luanda versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Luanda $2,793
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Luanda costs roughly 17% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Luanda 26% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.49 AOA 5,014

$10.86 MX$201

-49.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.38 AOA 34.1K

$44.21 MX$817

-15.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.59 AOA 6,013

$11.76 MX$217

-43.96%

Cappuccino

$2.66 AOA 2,427

$3.68 MX$68.0

-27.72%

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

$1.34 AOA 1,226

$1.34 MX$24.79

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 AOA 1,052

$0.82 MX$15.24

40.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 AOA 1,461

$3.06 MX$56.6

-47.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 AOA 1,463

$4.94 MX$91.2

-67.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 AOA 1,798

$1.47 MX$27.17

34.01%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 AOA 831

$2.22 MX$40.95

-59.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 AOA 1,477

$1.48 MX$27.32

9.46%

Eggs

$1.83 AOA 1,672

$2.49 MX$45.99

-26.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.68 AOA 8,839

$7.52 MX$139

28.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 AOA 3,057

$7.96 MX$147

-57.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.72 AOA 7,043

$12.57 MX$232

-38.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 AOA 2,093

$2.78 MX$51.3

-17.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 AOA 874

$1.43 MX$26.37

-32.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 AOA 2,475

$2.62 MX$48.37

3.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 AOA 1,662

$2.14 MX$39.49

-14.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 AOA 1,450

$2.02 MX$37.38

-21.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 AOA 1,401

$1.99 MX$36.74

-22.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 AOA 1,542

$1.14 MX$21.01

48.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 AOA 338

$1.20 MX$22.18

-69.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.66 AOA 1,514

$4.26 MX$78.7

-61.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 AOA 5,430

$10.02 MX$185

-40.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 AOA 383

$1.54 MX$28.41

-72.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 AOA 791

$2.66 MX$49.17

-67.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 AOA 313

$0.53 MX$9.73

-35.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.68 AOA 29.8K

$27.51 MX$508

18.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 AOA 976

$4.90 MX$90.6

-78.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 AOA 824

$3.43 MX$63.5

-73.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 AOA 5,071

$5.38 MX$99.4

3.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.32 AOA 290

$1.45 MX$26.76

-77.93%

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

$14.4K AOA 13.1M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

-31.95%

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

$22.5K AOA 20.6M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-2.06%

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

$99.9 AOA 91.2K

$85.4 MX$1,577

17.00%

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

$17.83 AOA 16.3K

$23.46 MX$434

-24.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.8 AOA 70.1K

$28.43 MX$525

170.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.15 AOA 41.2K

$62.2 MX$1,149

-27.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.28 AOA 14.0K

$28.68 MX$530

-46.72%

Cinema Ticket

$3.51 AOA 3,200

$5.10 MX$94.3

-31.18%

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

$760 AOA 694.1K

$201 MX$3,715

278.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K AOA 12.0M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

231.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 AOA 99.8K

$44.39 MX$820

146.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.8 AOA 56.4K

$41.35 MX$764

49.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 AOA 87.0K

$72.7 MX$1,344

31.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$203 AOA 185.5K

$89.6 MX$1,656

126.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 AOA 355.6K

$979 MX$18.1K

-60.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 AOA 183.1K

$373 MX$6,887

-46.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 AOA 2.0M

$1,681 MX$31.1K

28.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 AOA 970.4K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-2.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.1K AOA 11.0M

$3,949 MX$73.0K

206.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$889 AOA 811.4K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-85.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,379 AOA 1.3M

$738 MX$13.6K

86.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

83.41%

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

Last update for Luanda: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Clothing & Footwear

Luanda

$211 21.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 47.2% $100

Accommodation & Living

Luanda

$201 20.1%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 85.8% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Luanda

$195 19.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 29.4% $57

Groceries & Markets

Luanda

$183 18.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 40.8% $75

Eating Out

Luanda

$117 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 71.4% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Luanda

$52 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 38.8% $20

Getting Around

Luanda

$40 4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 30.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $390 in Luanda and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Luanda pays 87% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37.00 in Luanda vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $183 vs $258 per month, with Luanda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇴 Luanda

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:02 10:02 PM

16:02 4:02 PM

6 h behind Luanda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,600,000 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Angolan Kwanza AOA Kz

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 AOA = 10.96 USD

10,000 AOA = 9.74 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to AOA – Angolan Kwanza Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇴 Angolan Kwanza (Kz)

Angolan Kwanza exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 913 AOA (1,000 AOA = 1.1 USD). 1 EUR = 1,026 AOA (10,000 AOA = 9.74 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AOA in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Luanda Playa del Carmen 11,420 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Luanda
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

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

Luanda and Playa del Carmen differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($999 vs $1,204 including rent). Luanda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 87% higher in Luanda, 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: $390 in Luanda versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Luanda runs roughly 19% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $760 in Luanda versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $999 in Luanda versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Luanda but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Luanda 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.

Expats usually find Luanda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.