Cost of Living Comparison Between Lucena and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Lucena and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Lucena is 59.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 61.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Lucena is 54% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 60.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lucena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.67 ₱92.9
$11.99 MX$227
-86.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$8.68 ₱483
$42.47 MX$803
-79.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$1.89 ₱105
$10.47 MX$198
-81.95%
Cappuccino
$1.11 ₱61.7
$3.6 MX$68.2
-69.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ₱35.61
$1.44 MX$27.16
-55.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ₱19.07
$0.89 MX$16.79
-61.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.93 ₱51.8
$3.09 MX$58.5
-69.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 ₱80.4
$4.58 MX$86.6
-68.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lucena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ₱96.9
$1.38 MX$26.04
26.09%
White Bread (500g)
$1.19 ₱66.5
$1.85 MX$34.9
-35.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.96 ₱53.6
$1.57 MX$29.68
-38.85%
Eggs
$2 ₱111
$2.55 MX$48.3
-21.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.95 ₱387
$8.61 MX$163
-19.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$1.38 ₱76.9
$8.54 MX$161
-83.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$2.63 ₱146
$10.98 MX$208
-76.05%
Apples (1kg)
$0.93 ₱51.9
$2.72 MX$51.4
-65.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 ₱57.6
$1.51 MX$28.57
-31.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.87 ₱48.31
$1.88 MX$35.63
-53.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.74 ₱40.97
$2.19 MX$41.42
-66.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.09 ₱60.5
$1.87 MX$35.3
-41.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ₱65.4
$2.19 MX$41.37
-46.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.26 ₱70.4
$1.07 MX$20.23
17.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 ₱40.29
$1.09 MX$20.64
-33.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.14 ₱175
$3.96 MX$74.9
-20.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.31 ₱240
$8.86 MX$167
-51.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.55 ₱86.3
$1.72 MX$32.53
-9.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ₱51.8
$2.61 MX$49.37
-64.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Lucena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 ₱17.54
$0.52 MX$9.74
-40.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.82 ₱45.91
$3.24 MX$61.2
-74.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 ₱15.18
$2.38 MX$44.94
-88.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.11 ₱117
$3.11 MX$58.7
-32.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ₱61.6
$1.31 MX$24.85
-15.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.9K ₱1.4M
$30.3K MX$573K
-14.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.5K ₱1.1M
$24K MX$453.6K
-14.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lucena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63 ₱3,507
$84.2 MX$1,592
-25.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.17 ₱399
$22.14 MX$419
-67.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.27 ₱683
$30.14 MX$570
-59.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lucena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.34 ₱1,912
$52 MX$983
-33.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.72 MX$354
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.07 ₱394
$5.07 MX$95.9
39.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lucena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$81.2 ₱4,519
$200 MX$3,787
-59.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,828 ₱157.5K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-46.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lucena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$31.39 ₱1,748
$35.74 MX$676
-12.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.07 ₱1,674
$39.8 MX$753
-24.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$53.7 ₱2,988
$79 MX$1,493
-32.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.9 ₱5,226
$88.4 MX$1,671
6.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lucena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$132 ₱7,327
$965 MX$18.3K
-86.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$80 ₱4,455
$474 MX$8,968
-83.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$587 ₱32.7K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-64.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$387 ₱21.6K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-67.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,209 ₱123K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-28.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lucena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$344 ₱19.1K
$792 MX$15K
-56.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.13
11.42
-28.81%

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

Last update for Lucena: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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