Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marabella and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Marabella: $770 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Marabella
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Marabella Living Index
58

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

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Marabella

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$770

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $770 in Marabella versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Marabella $770
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,322 in Marabella versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Marabella $1,322
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,873 in Marabella versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Marabella $1,873
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Marabella costs roughly 36% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Marabella 43% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.47 TTD 70.3

$10.92 MX$205

-4.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 TTD 401

$43.37 MX$814

37.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 TTD 53.6

$11.78 MX$221

-32.26%

Cappuccino

$3.82 TTD 25.64

$3.81 MX$71.5

0.26%

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

$1.00 TTD 6.68

$1.28 MX$24.07

-21.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 TTD 5.18

$0.78 MX$14.70

-1.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 TTD 11.99

$3.17 MX$59.5

-43.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 TTD 17.24

$4.93 MX$92.7

-47.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 TTD 13.43

$1.41 MX$26.40

41.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 TTD 15.06

$2.22 MX$41.62

0.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 TTD 19.26

$1.42 MX$26.61

102.11%

Eggs

$3.94 TTD 26.46

$2.52 MX$47.36

56.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.70 TTD 44.97

$7.26 MX$136

-7.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.27 TTD 68.9

$7.70 MX$144

33.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.18 TTD 61.6

$12.69 MX$238

-27.66%

Apples (1kg)

$5.45 TTD 36.57

$2.78 MX$52.3

96.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 TTD 17.01

$1.37 MX$25.68

84.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 TTD 24.64

$2.55 MX$47.89

43.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 TTD 28.56

$2.12 MX$39.86

100.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 TTD 4.81

$1.94 MX$36.39

-62.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 TTD 4.76

$1.89 MX$35.41

-62.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 TTD 10.13

$1.15 MX$21.53

31.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 TTD 7.83

$1.18 MX$22.13

-0.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 TTD 37.40

$4.30 MX$80.6

29.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.94 TTD 120

$9.95 MX$187

80.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 TTD 10.11

$1.58 MX$29.73

-4.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 TTD 20.65

$2.67 MX$50.1

15.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 TTD 5.85

$4.97 MX$93.3

-82.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 TTD 6.22

$3.33 MX$62.5

-72.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.04 TTD 101

$5.36 MX$101

180.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 TTD 7.83

$1.44 MX$27.11

-18.75%

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

$36.2K TTD 243.2K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

75.36%

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

$41.0K TTD 274.9K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

74.60%

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

$44.53 TTD 299

$84.8 MX$1,592

-47.48%

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

$41.74 TTD 280

$23.41 MX$439

78.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.96 TTD 302

$28.66 MX$538

56.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$8.75 TTD 58.7

$5.14 MX$96.5

70.23%

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

$404 TTD 2,710

$207 MX$3,878

95.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K TTD 73.3K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

178.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 TTD 371

$43.35 MX$814

27.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.52 TTD 245

$41.44 MX$778

-11.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 TTD 602

$74.2 MX$1,393

20.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 TTD 587

$89.3 MX$1,676

-2.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

11.45

-49.78%

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

Last update for Marabella: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Marabella

$320 41.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 20.5% $66

Eating Out

Marabella

$175 22.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 15.8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marabella

$131 17%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 4.3% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Marabella

$121 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 7.7% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Marabella

$17 * 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 285% $50

Getting Around

Marabella

$5.5 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 816% $45

Accommodation & Living

Marabella

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $60 in Marabella vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Marabella

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:37 5:37 PM

16:37 4:37 PM

1 h behind Marabella

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,700

149,923

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.133 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TTD – Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar ($)

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to TTD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Marabella Playa del Carmen 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Marabella
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $770 in Marabella and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Marabella is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,155 in Marabella and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $770 per month in Marabella versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Marabella is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $770 in Marabella versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Marabella but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Marabella 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.