Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mambajao and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Mambajao: $508 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Mambajao
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Mambajao Living Index
59

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

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Mambajao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$508

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $508 per month in Mambajao vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mambajao $508
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $817 per month in Mambajao vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mambajao $817
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,126 per month in Mambajao vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mambajao $1,126
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Mambajao is about 58% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mambajao and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Mambajao 62% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.36 ₱85.9

$10.76 MX$199

-87.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.83 ₱997

$43.03 MX$795

-63.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.40 ₱214

$11.79 MX$218

-71.16%

Cappuccino

$2.28 ₱144

$3.87 MX$71.4

-41.09%

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

$0.38 ₱24.02

$1.37 MX$25.29

-72.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₱16.81

$0.84 MX$15.44

-67.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₱64.6

$3.10 MX$57.3

-66.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 ₱70.6

$5.07 MX$93.6

-77.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 ₱56.8

$1.44 MX$26.55

-37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ₱39.56

$2.23 MX$41.23

-71.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₱41.56

$1.47 MX$27.17

-55.10%

Eggs

$1.26 ₱79.5

$2.53 MX$46.71

-50.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.90 ₱372

$7.30 MX$135

-19.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 ₱270

$7.86 MX$145

-45.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.50 ₱346

$12.79 MX$236

-57.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 ₱160

$2.90 MX$53.6

-12.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₱103

$1.44 MX$26.53

13.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ₱141

$2.55 MX$47.07

-12.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ₱71.3

$2.06 MX$38.03

-45.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ₱81.3

$2.00 MX$36.97

-35.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 ₱130

$2.01 MX$37.07

2.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 ₱56.8

$1.19 MX$22.02

-24.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₱34.37

$1.26 MX$23.23

-56.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 ₱158

$4.40 MX$81.4

-42.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 ₱467

$9.59 MX$177

-22.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₱62.0

$1.59 MX$29.41

-37.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱70.9

$2.81 MX$51.9

-59.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.47

$0.57 MX$10.47

-64.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.71 ₱675

$27.82 MX$514

-61.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 ₱43.54

$4.98 MX$92.1

-86.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱12.97

$3.50 MX$64.6

-94.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 ₱107

$5.40 MX$99.8

-68.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱80.3

$1.47 MX$27.08

-12.93%

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

$21.9K ₱1.4M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

4.59%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-8.99%

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

$64.9 ₱4,083

$84.2 MX$1,556

-22.99%

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

$16.36 ₱1,030

$23.99 MX$443

-31.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.10 ₱1,266

$29.02 MX$536

-30.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.72 ₱1,745

$63.0 MX$1,164

-55.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.68 ₱295

$29.14 MX$539

-83.94%

Cinema Ticket

$4.95 ₱312

$4.94 MX$91.3

0.20%

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

$127 ₱7,995

$204 MX$3,763

-37.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,993 ₱566.2K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

128.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.83 ₱1,941

$43.60 MX$806

-29.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.01 ₱1,386

$43.12 MX$797

-48.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ₱4,553

$75.8 MX$1,400

-4.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.1 ₱3,975

$88.6 MX$1,637

-28.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$101 ₱6,360

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-89.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.3 ₱3,542

$374 MX$6,911

-84.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 ₱14.9K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-86.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 ₱9,973

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-85.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,172 ₱136.7K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-44.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$990 ₱62.3K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-83.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$153 ₱9,616

$754 MX$13.9K

-79.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.45

-40.70%

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

Last update for Mambajao: 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

Mambajao

$156 30.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 65.8% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mambajao

$101 20%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 35.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Mambajao

$85 16.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 33.3% $28

Eating Out

Mambajao

$59 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 246% $144

Accommodation & Living

Mambajao

$56 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 565% $318

Sport & Entertainment

Mambajao

$38 7.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 93.7% $35

Getting Around

Mambajao

$13 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 297% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $101 in Mambajao 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 394% 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 $16.00 in Mambajao versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $156 vs $258 – making Mambajao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Mambajao

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

12:49 12:49 PM

13 h behind Mambajao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,094

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

Mambajao Playa del Carmen 15,210 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mambajao
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 138% more than Mambajao, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $761 per month in Mambajao 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 Mambajao, 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 $508 in Mambajao and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 138%.

Public transport costs about 160% less in Mambajao. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mambajao, where all-in costs run around $508, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Mambajao it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mambajao costs $508 versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Mambajao. 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.