Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palawan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $784 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$784

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $784 per month in Palawan vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Palawan $784
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,223 per month in Palawan vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Palawan $1,223
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,661 per month in Palawan vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Palawan $1,661
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Palawan is about 35% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Palawan and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Palawan 42% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.48 ₱220

$10.92 MX$203

-68.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.38 ₱1,228

$43.37 MX$805

-55.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.31 ₱210

$11.78 MX$219

-71.90%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱160

$3.81 MX$70.7

-33.86%

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

$0.78 ₱49.38

$1.28 MX$23.81

-39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₱25.01

$0.78 MX$14.54

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 ₱82.9

$3.17 MX$58.8

-58.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ₱136

$4.93 MX$91.7

-56.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱120

$1.41 MX$26.12

34.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ₱77.1

$2.22 MX$41.17

-45.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₱63.3

$1.42 MX$26.32

-29.58%

Eggs

$2.00 ₱127

$2.52 MX$46.85

-20.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 ₱501

$7.26 MX$135

8.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 ₱276

$7.70 MX$143

-43.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.62 ₱483

$12.69 MX$236

-39.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 ₱182

$2.78 MX$51.7

3.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₱100

$1.37 MX$25.41

15.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 ₱166

$2.55 MX$47.37

2.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ₱98.4

$2.12 MX$39.43

-26.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 ₱142

$1.94 MX$36.00

15.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₱161

$1.89 MX$35.02

34.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₱70.1

$1.15 MX$21.29

-3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₱47.76

$1.18 MX$21.89

-36.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱183

$4.30 MX$79.8

-32.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.95 ₱441

$9.95 MX$185

-30.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 ₱73.9

$1.58 MX$29.41

-25.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱126

$2.67 MX$49.60

-25.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.34

$0.55 MX$10.28

-52.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.46 ₱727

$26.62 MX$494

-56.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.6

$4.97 MX$92.3

-83.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.93

$3.33 MX$61.9

-93.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.08 ₱132

$5.36 MX$99.5

-61.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ₱71.9

$1.44 MX$26.82

-21.53%

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

$26.1K ₱1.7M

$20.7K MX$383.8K

26.40%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$23.5K MX$435.8K

-11.63%

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

$112 ₱7,078

$84.8 MX$1,575

31.70%

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

$33.36 ₱2,115

$23.41 MX$435

42.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.52 ₱1,744

$28.66 MX$532

-3.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.20 ₱2,168

$57.1 MX$1,059

-40.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.55 ₱289

$28.91 MX$537

-84.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.96 ₱378

$5.14 MX$95.4

15.95%

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

$153 ₱9,715

$207 MX$3,836

-25.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,354 ₱276.0K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

10.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.66 ₱2,957

$43.35 MX$805

7.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.57 ₱1,684

$41.44 MX$770

-35.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.4 ₱4,717

$74.2 MX$1,378

0.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.1 ₱3,430

$89.3 MX$1,657

-39.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 ₱16.7K

$980 MX$18.2K

-73.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱11.0K

$381 MX$7,072

-54.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 ₱36.5K

$1,708 MX$31.7K

-66.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ₱24.7K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-63.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,321 ₱147.1K

$3,943 MX$73.2K

-41.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,122 ₱71.1K

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-81.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

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 Palawan: 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

Palawan

$202 25.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 25.8% $52

Accommodation & Living

Palawan

$174 22.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 119% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palawan

$173 22%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 20.7% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Palawan

$91 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 23% $21

Eating Out

Palawan

$84 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 142% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Palawan

$46 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 46% $21

Getting Around

Palawan

$14 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 250% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $263 in Palawan versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Palawan versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $255 – making Palawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Palawan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

03:51 3:51 AM

13 h behind Palawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,594

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Palawan Playa del Carmen 15,610 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Palawan
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,176 per month in Palawan and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palawan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $263 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $153 per month in Palawan and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Palawan, where all-in costs run around $784, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Palawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palawan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Palawan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 35% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.