Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benin and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Benin: $445 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Benin
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Benin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Benin

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$445

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $445 per month in Benin vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Benin $445
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $753 per month in Benin vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Benin $753
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,061 per month in Benin vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Benin $1,061
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Benin is about 63% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Benin and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Benin 67% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.29 ₦1,727

$10.92 MX$204

-88.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.53 ₦66.4K

$43.37 MX$808

14.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.72 ₦7,661

$11.78 MX$220

-51.44%

Cappuccino

$2.82 ₦3,786

$3.81 MX$71.0

-25.98%

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

$0.29 ₦390

$1.28 MX$23.90

-77.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₦264

$0.78 MX$14.59

-74.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.93 ₦1,249

$3.17 MX$59.0

-70.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₦1,333

$4.93 MX$92.0

-79.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.05 ₦4,092

$1.41 MX$26.22

116.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.77 ₦1,026

$2.22 MX$41.33

-65.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 ₦1,665

$1.42 MX$26.42

-12.68%

Eggs

$2.19 ₦2,939

$2.52 MX$47.03

-13.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.55 ₦4,764

$7.26 MX$135

-51.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.93 ₦5,264

$7.70 MX$143

-48.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.41 ₦5,908

$12.69 MX$237

-65.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.65 ₦2,206

$2.78 MX$51.9

-40.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₦1,688

$1.37 MX$25.50

-8.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 ₦1,445

$2.55 MX$47.55

-57.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ₦1,970

$2.12 MX$39.58

-30.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 ₦2,074

$1.94 MX$36.13

-20.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 ₦2,120

$1.89 MX$35.16

-16.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 ₦1,194

$1.15 MX$21.37

-22.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 ₦487

$1.18 MX$21.98

-69.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.54 ₦730

$4.30 MX$80.1

-87.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.44 ₦3,267

$9.95 MX$185

-75.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₦683

$1.58 MX$29.52

-67.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ₦614

$2.67 MX$49.79

-82.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₦914

$4.97 MX$92.6

-86.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 ₦1,189

$3.33 MX$62.1

-73.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 ₦2,982

$5.36 MX$99.8

-58.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 ₦981

$1.44 MX$26.92

-49.31%

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

$11.2K ₦14.9M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

-46.04%

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

$28.7K ₦38.4M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

22.17%

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

$111 ₦148.5K

$84.8 MX$1,581

30.71%

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

$14.93 ₦20.0K

$23.41 MX$436

-36.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.50 ₦43.6K

$28.66 MX$534

13.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$6.22 ₦8,332

$5.14 MX$95.8

21.01%

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

$668 ₦894.8K

$207 MX$3,851

223.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K ₦26.2M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

398.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.65 ₦19.6K

$43.35 MX$808

-66.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.85 ₦23.9K

$41.44 MX$772

-56.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.59 ₦49.0K

$74.2 MX$1,383

-50.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.06 ₦64.4K

$89.3 MX$1,664

-46.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$113 ₦151.1K

$735 MX$13.7K

-84.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.39

11.45

60.61%

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

Last update for Benin: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benin

$158 35.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 13.5% $21

Groceries & Markets

Benin

$147 33%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 73.4% $108

Eating Out

Benin

$70 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 189% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Benin

$53 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 112% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Benin

$12 * 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 442% $55

Getting Around

Benin

$5.1 * 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 885% $45

Accommodation & Living

Benin

- * 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

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 6.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Benin versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $147 in Benin vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Benin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Benin

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:30 11:30 PM

17:30 5:30 PM

6 h behind Benin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,147,188

149,923

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.7 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇬 Nigerian Naira (₦)

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.7 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to NGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Benin Playa del Carmen 10,040 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Benin
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 170% more than Benin, 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 $668 per month in Benin and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $445 in Benin and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Benin about 63% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Benin and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Benin, where all-in costs run around $445, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Benin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $445 in Benin to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Benin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.