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

😐 Solo nomad: Monrovia is 41.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 12% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Monrovia is 50.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 17.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monrovia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.54 LRD 1,386
$11.85 MX$205
-36.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$150 LRD 27.5K
$42.16 MX$730
255.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.20 LRD 2,061
$10.75 MX$186
4.19%
Cappuccino
$3.27 LRD 602
$3.47 MX$60.2
-5.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 LRD 365
$1.45 MX$25.17
37.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 LRD 504
$0.90 MX$15.64
204.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.80 LRD 515
$3.05 MX$52.9
-8.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 LRD 549
$4.42 MX$76.5
-32.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monrovia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 LRD 398
$1.37 MX$23.72
57.66%
White Bread (500g)
$1.78 LRD 327
$1.87 MX$32.43
-4.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.28 LRD 972
$1.54 MX$26.74
242.86%
Eggs
$3.59 LRD 660
$2.50 MX$43.36
43.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.84 LRD 2,177
$8.61 MX$149
37.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.00 LRD 2,208
$8.63 MX$150
39.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$35.08 LRD 6,453
$11.02 MX$191
218.33%
Apples (1kg)
$1.66 LRD 306
$2.75 MX$47.62
-39.64%
Banana (1kg)
$8.32 LRD 1,531
$1.43 MX$24.73
481.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$10.37 LRD 1,908
$1.87 MX$32.44
454.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$11.07 LRD 2,036
$2.17 MX$37.54
410.14%
Potato (1kg)
$2.30 LRD 423
$1.88 MX$32.61
22.34%
Onion (1kg)
$10.79 LRD 1,985
$2.25 MX$38.91
379.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$4.57 LRD 840
$1.07 MX$18.49
327.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 LRD 358
$1.07 MX$18.59
82.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.95 LRD 911
$4.15 MX$72.0
19.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.83 LRD 1,256
$10.34 MX$179
-33.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.46 LRD 453
$1.68 MX$29.08
46.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.23 LRD 594
$2.48 MX$43.02
30.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Monrovia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.99 LRD 550
$0.55 MX$9.61
443.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.15 LRD 3,707
$26.53 MX$459
-24.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.68 LRD 492
$3.22 MX$55.7
-16.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.22 LRD 224
$2.48 MX$42.98
-50.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.28 LRD 3,178
$3.11 MX$53.9
455.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 LRD 232
$1.26 MX$21.75
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$12.3K LRD 2.3M
$30.7K MX$531.0K
-59.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$14.9K LRD 2.7M
$24.0K MX$416.4K
-38.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monrovia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$268 LRD 49.4K
$82.5 MX$1,429
225.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.84 LRD 4,201
$22.29 MX$386
2.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$91.5 LRD 16.8K
$30.02 MX$520
204.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monrovia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$75.8 LRD 13.9K
$51.4 MX$891
47.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.06 LRD 1,483
$18.29 MX$317
-55.93%
Cinema Ticket
$9.86 LRD 1,813
$4.98 MX$86.3
97.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monrovia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$131 LRD 24.2K
$200 MX$3,464
-34.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$902 LRD 166.0K
$5,304 MX$91.9K
-82.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monrovia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.38 LRD 3,381
$35.71 MX$618
-48.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.56 LRD 6,172
$39.56 MX$685
-15.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$55.6 LRD 10.2K
$80.6 MX$1,395
-30.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$67.4 LRD 12.4K
$88.3 MX$1,530
-23.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monrovia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$664 LRD 122.2K
$969 MX$16.8K
-31.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$96.1 LRD 17.7K
$482 MX$8,352
-80.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,820 LRD 334.8K
$1,595 MX$27.6K
14.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$270 LRD 49.6K
$1,184 MX$20.5K
-77.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,050 MX$70.1K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,522 MX$113.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monrovia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$706 LRD 129.9K
$756 MX$13.1K
-6.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
11.42
-56.22%

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

Last update for Monrovia: February 28, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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