Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Midlands and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Midlands: $623 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Midlands, Mauritius
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Midlands
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$623
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $623 per month in Midlands vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Midlands $623
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,044 per month in Midlands vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Midlands $1,044
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,465 per month in Midlands vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Midlands $1,465
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Midlands is about 48% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Midlands and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Midlands 54% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Midlands
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.77 MUR 269
$10.92 MX$205
-47.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.11 MUR 1,775
$43.37 MX$813
-12.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.41 MUR 345
$11.78 MX$221
-37.10%
Cappuccino
$2.63 MUR 122
$3.81 MX$71.4
-30.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.19 MUR 55.3
$1.28 MX$24.03
-7.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 MUR 29.67
$0.78 MX$14.67
-17.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.73 MUR 127
$3.17 MX$59.3
-13.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.86 MUR 227
$4.93 MX$92.5
-1.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Midlands
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.61 MUR 75.1
$1.41 MX$26.35
14.18%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 MUR 33.99
$2.22 MX$41.54
-67.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.10 MUR 51.2
$1.42 MX$26.56
-22.54%
Eggs
$2.57 MUR 119
$2.52 MX$47.27
1.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.38 MUR 251
$7.26 MX$136
-25.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.27 MUR 292
$7.70 MX$144
-18.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.11 MUR 518
$12.69 MX$238
-12.45%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MUR 130
$2.78 MX$52.2
-
Banana (1kg)
$2.68 MUR 125
$1.37 MX$25.64
95.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.39 MUR 64.9
$2.55 MX$47.80
-45.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.00 MUR 140
$2.12 MX$39.78
41.51%
Potato (1kg)
$0.94 MUR 43.60
$1.94 MX$36.32
-51.55%
Onion (1kg)
$1.01 MUR 46.82
$1.89 MX$35.34
-46.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 MUR 35.07
$1.15 MX$21.49
-34.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.86 MUR 40.07
$1.18 MX$22.09
-27.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.64 MUR 309
$4.30 MX$80.5
54.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.24 MUR 384
$9.95 MX$186
-17.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MUR 80.0
$1.58 MX$29.67
8.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 MUR 112
$2.67 MX$50.1
-10.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Midlands
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.55 MX$10.37
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.62 MX$499
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.30 MUR 200
$4.97 MX$93.1
-13.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.27 MUR 152
$3.33 MX$62.4
-1.80%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.93 MUR 975
$5.36 MX$100
290.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.37 MUR 63.7
$1.44 MX$27.06
-4.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.0K MUR 1.7M
$20.7K MX$387.3K
74.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.3K MUR 1.5M
$23.5K MX$439.7K
33.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Midlands
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.87 MUR 2,090
$84.8 MX$1,589
-47.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.80 MUR 503
$23.41 MX$439
-53.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.85 MUR 1,344
$28.66 MX$537
0.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Midlands
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$57.1 MX$1,069
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$542
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.36 MUR 296
$5.14 MX$96.3
23.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Midlands
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$125 MUR 5,839
$207 MX$3,871
-39.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,801 MUR 363.4K
$3,927 MX$73.6K
98.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Midlands
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$76.9 MUR 3,584
$43.35 MX$812
77.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$73.1 MUR 3,406
$41.44 MX$777
76.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 MUR 5,659
$74.2 MX$1,390
63.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$76.8 MUR 3,575
$89.3 MX$1,672
-14.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Midlands
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$980 MX$18.4K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$381 MX$7,136
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,708 MX$32.0K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,075 MX$20.1K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,943 MX$73.9K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,158 MX$115.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Midlands
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$735 MX$13.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.67
11.45
-41.75%

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

Last update for Midlands: October 25, 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
Midlands
$217
Playa del Carmen
$255 17.2% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Midlands
$157
Playa del Carmen
$112 28.7% $45
Eating Out
Midlands
$131
Playa del Carmen
$202 55% $72
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Midlands
$85
Playa del Carmen
$137 61.9% $52
Getting Around
Midlands
$21 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 144% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Midlands
$13 *
Playa del Carmen
$67 430% $55
Accommodation & Living
Midlands
- *
Playa del Carmen
$381

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Midlands versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $255 – making Midlands the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇺 Midlands
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
23:47 11:47 PM
14:47 2:47 PM
9 h behind Midlands
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,546
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 52.21 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Midlands Playa del Carmen 16,340 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Midlands
  • 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
Midlands vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Midlands or Playa del Carmen?
Playa del Carmen costs about 93% more than Midlands, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Midlands and in Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $934 per month in Midlands and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does it cost to live in Midlands compared to Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $623 in Midlands and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Midlands about 48% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Midlands and in Playa del Carmen?
Kindergarten costs $125 per month in Midlands and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $800/month in Midlands or in Playa del Carmen?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Midlands, where all-in costs run around $623, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Midlands it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Midlands or Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $623 in Midlands to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Midlands vs other spots: cost of living compared

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