Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pago Pago and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,456 in Pago Pago, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Pago Pago
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Pago Pago Living Index
60

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

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Pago Pago

🇦🇸 American Samoa

$1,456

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,456 in Pago Pago versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen.

Pago Pago $1,456
Playa del Carmen $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,262 in Pago Pago versus $2,144 in Playa del Carmen.

Pago Pago $2,262
Playa del Carmen $2,144

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,068 in Pago Pago versus $3,072 in Playa del Carmen.

Pago Pago $3,068
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Living in Pago Pago is roughly 20% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pago Pago is 9% above, Playa del Carmen is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.18 $36.18

$44.85 MX$823

-19.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$11.92 MX$219

-15.52%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$0.86 MX$15.72

17.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$5.01 MX$92.0

-22.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.46 MX$26.77

77.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.33 MX$42.72

21.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.44 MX$26.48

191.67%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$2.46 MX$45.20

88.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.03 $10.03

$7.70 MX$141

30.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 $9.83

$7.89 MX$145

24.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

$12.80 MX$235

-10.39%

Apples (1kg)

$6.15 $6.15

$2.92 MX$53.6

110.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.42 MX$26.11

-28.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.57 MX$47.10

14.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.14 MX$39.24

87.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.95 MX$35.75

101.03%

Onion (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.94 MX$35.55

109.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.15 MX$21.13

72.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.22 MX$22.42

65.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.49 $11.49

$4.38 MX$80.3

162.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$9.85 MX$181

50.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.54 MX$28.23

-35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.72 MX$49.86

5.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.52 MX$9.64

290.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$124 $124

$27.42 MX$503

351.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 $5.07

$4.91 MX$90.2

3.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.52 MX$64.7

-41.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.49 $29.49

$5.69 MX$104

418.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.54 MX$28.27

-11.69%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

39.84%

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

$20.2K $20.2K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

-17.56%

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

$404 $404

$83.6 MX$1,535

382.72%

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

$30.11 $30.11

$24.03 MX$441

25.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.3 $76.3

$29.33 MX$539

160.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.35 $49.35

$64.9 MX$1,191

-23.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.06 $10.06

$29.46 MX$541

-65.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.22 $9.22

$5.09 MX$93.4

81.14%

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

$989 $989

$208 MX$3,813

376.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,838 $9,838

$4,045 MX$74.3K

143.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.4 $69.4

$44.55 MX$818

55.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 $50.3

$42.06 MX$772

19.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 $81.3

$75.5 MX$1,387

7.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$91.4 MX$1,678

11.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 $327

$986 MX$18.1K

-66.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 $201

$385 MX$7,072

-47.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$884 $884

$1,713 MX$31.5K

-48.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 $707

$1,108 MX$20.4K

-36.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K $18.1K

$4,016 MX$73.7K

350.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.7K $10.7K

$6,247 MX$114.7K

70.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,217 $1,217

$758 MX$13.9K

60.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-73.80%

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

Last update for Pago Pago: October 4, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pago Pago

$510 34.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 73.1% $373

Groceries & Markets

Pago Pago

$364 24.8%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 28.5% $104

Accommodation & Living

Pago Pago

$201 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 91.4% $184

Getting Around

Pago Pago

$147 10%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 64.7% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Pago Pago

$136 9.3%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 16.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Pago Pago

$68 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 10.7% $7.3

Eating Out

Pago Pago

$42 * 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 385% $162

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $327 in Pago Pago and $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pago Pago pays 61% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $36.00 in Pago Pago vs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $364 vs $260, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇸 Pago Pago

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

09:22 9:22 AM

6 h ahead of Pago Pago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,500 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pago Pago Playa del Carmen 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Pago Pago
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Pago Pago. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 61% higher in Pago Pago, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $327 in Pago Pago versus $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 352% less than in Pago Pago. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $989 in Pago Pago versus $208 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,456 in Pago Pago, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Pago Pago. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,215 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Pago Pago and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Pago Pago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.