Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pangasinan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Pangasinan: $778 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Pangasinan, Philippines
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Pangasinan
🇵🇭 Philippines
$778
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $778 per month in Pangasinan vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Pangasinan $778
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,151 per month in Pangasinan vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Pangasinan $1,151
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,523 per month in Pangasinan vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Pangasinan $1,523
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

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

Both Pangasinan and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Pangasinan 43% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pangasinan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.19 ₱75.9
$10.92 MX$206
-89.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$13.19 ₱842
$43.37 MX$818
-69.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.96 ₱253
$11.78 MX$222
-66.38%
Cappuccino
$2.63 ₱168
$3.81 MX$71.9
-30.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.11 ₱70.8
$1.28 MX$24.19
-13.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ₱31.54
$0.78 MX$14.77
-37.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.82 ₱52.3
$3.17 MX$59.7
-74.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 ₱197
$4.93 MX$93.1
-37.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pangasinan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 ₱71.3
$1.41 MX$26.53
-20.57%
White Bread (500g)
$0.75 ₱48.15
$2.22 MX$41.82
-66.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.73 ₱46.33
$1.42 MX$26.73
-48.59%
Eggs
$2.44 ₱155
$2.52 MX$47.59
-3.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.12 ₱454
$7.26 MX$137
-1.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.70 ₱300
$7.70 MX$145
-38.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.96 ₱445
$12.69 MX$239
-45.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.31 ₱148
$2.78 MX$52.5
-16.91%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 ₱126
$1.37 MX$25.81
43.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.19 ₱203
$2.55 MX$48.12
25.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.28 ₱145
$2.12 MX$40.05
7.55%
Potato (1kg)
$3.44 ₱220
$1.94 MX$36.56
77.32%
Onion (1kg)
$3.36 ₱214
$1.89 MX$35.58
77.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 ₱69.7
$1.15 MX$21.63
-5.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 ₱36.08
$1.18 MX$22.24
-51.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.55 ₱163
$4.30 MX$81.0
-40.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.00 ₱510
$9.95 MX$188
-19.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 ₱87.0
$1.58 MX$29.87
-13.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 ₱130
$2.67 MX$50.4
-23.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Pangasinan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.20 ₱12.94
$0.55 MX$10.44
-63.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$13.34 ₱851
$26.62 MX$502
-49.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.64 ₱41.05
$4.97 MX$93.7
-87.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.73
$3.33 MX$62.8
-93.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.92 ₱122
$5.36 MX$101
-64.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.94 ₱59.8
$1.44 MX$27.24
-34.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K ₱1.3M
$20.7K MX$389.8K
0.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.3K ₱1.2M
$23.5K MX$442.6K
-17.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pangasinan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$154 ₱9,861
$84.8 MX$1,599
82.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.59 ₱995
$23.41 MX$442
-33.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.21 ₱2,056
$28.66 MX$541
12.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pangasinan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.13 ₱1,796
$57.1 MX$1,076
-50.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.63 ₱360
$28.91 MX$545
-80.53%
Cinema Ticket
$6.85 ₱438
$5.14 MX$96.9
33.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pangasinan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$128 ₱8,174
$207 MX$3,897
-38.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,285 ₱465.1K
$3,927 MX$74.1K
85.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pangasinan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.75 ₱2,091
$43.35 MX$818
-24.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.52 ₱1,247
$41.44 MX$782
-52.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.3 ₱5,063
$74.2 MX$1,400
6.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.5 ₱3,545
$89.3 MX$1,684
-37.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pangasinan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$245 ₱15.6K
$980 MX$18.5K
-75.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$165 ₱10.5K
$381 MX$7,184
-56.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$447 ₱28.5K
$1,708 MX$32.2K
-73.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$328 ₱21.0K
$1,075 MX$20.3K
-69.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,968 ₱189.5K
$3,943 MX$74.4K
-24.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,164 ₱74.3K
$6,158 MX$116.2K
-81.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pangasinan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$735 MX$13.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.5
11.45
-34.50%

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

Last update for Pangasinan: October 24, 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
Pangasinan
$202
Playa del Carmen
$137 32.3% $65
Groceries & Markets
Pangasinan
$200
Playa del Carmen
$255 27.6% $55
Accommodation & Living
Pangasinan
$165
Playa del Carmen
$381 132% $216
Clothing & Footwear
Pangasinan
$84
Playa del Carmen
$112 32.7% $28
Eating Out
Pangasinan
$70
Playa del Carmen
$202 191% $133
Sport & Entertainment
Pangasinan
$42
Playa del Carmen
$67 60.9% $25
Getting Around
Pangasinan
$16
Playa del Carmen
$50 217% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $245 in Pangasinan 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 $13 in Pangasinan versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $255 – making Pangasinan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Pangasinan
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
14:24 2:24 PM
01:24 1:24 AM
13 h behind Pangasinan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,188,540
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 63.85 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 18.86 MXN (100 MXN = 5.3 USD). 1 EUR = 21.02 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Pangasinan Playa del Carmen 14,970 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Pangasinan
  • 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
Pangasinan vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pangasinan cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,167 per month in Pangasinan and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Pangasinan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $245 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Pangasinan and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $778 in Pangasinan and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Pangasinan about 35% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 50% less in Pangasinan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Pangasinan or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Pangasinan, where all-in costs run around $778, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Pangasinan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Pangasinan or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Pangasinan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Pangasinan 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.

Pangasinan vs other spots: cost of living compared

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