Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasay and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasay: $898 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Pasay
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Pasay Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Pasay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$898

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $898 per month in Pasay vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Pasay $898
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,224 per month in Pasay vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Pasay $1,224
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,551 per month in Pasay vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Pasay $1,551
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Pasay is about 25% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pasay and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Pasay 34% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ₱280

$10.92 MX$205

-59.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.79 ₱1,197

$43.37 MX$814

-56.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.79 ₱178

$11.78 MX$221

-76.32%

Cappuccino

$2.12 ₱135

$3.81 MX$71.5

-44.36%

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

$0.59 ₱37.36

$1.28 MX$24.07

-53.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.24

$0.78 MX$14.70

-57.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 ₱73.5

$3.17 MX$59.5

-63.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱98.0

$4.93 MX$92.7

-68.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ₱104

$1.41 MX$26.40

15.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱74.1

$2.22 MX$41.62

-47.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱65.1

$1.42 MX$26.61

-28.17%

Eggs

$1.83 ₱117

$2.52 MX$47.36

-27.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.97 ₱316

$7.26 MX$136

-31.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.23 ₱270

$7.70 MX$144

-45.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.83 ₱435

$12.69 MX$238

-46.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 ₱140

$2.78 MX$52.3

-21.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₱99.5

$1.37 MX$25.68

13.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.55 MX$47.89

-8.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ₱70.6

$2.12 MX$39.86

-47.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 ₱148

$1.94 MX$36.39

20.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 ₱208

$1.89 MX$35.41

73.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ₱78.2

$1.15 MX$21.53

6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 ₱54.2

$1.18 MX$22.13

-27.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 ₱188

$4.30 MX$80.6

-31.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.56 ₱482

$9.95 MX$187

-24.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₱56.1

$1.58 MX$29.73

-44.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱110

$2.67 MX$50.1

-35.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.46

$0.55 MX$10.39

-63.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₱51.2

$4.97 MX$93.3

-83.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.37

$3.33 MX$62.5

-93.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 ₱120

$5.36 MX$101

-64.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ₱78.4

$1.44 MX$27.11

-14.58%

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

$20.6K ₱1.3M

$20.7K MX$388.0K

-0.28%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-18.01%

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

$139 ₱8,867

$84.8 MX$1,592

64.11%

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

$14.40 ₱918

$23.41 MX$439

-38.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.03 ₱1,531

$28.66 MX$538

-16.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.26 ₱3,011

$57.1 MX$1,071

-17.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$4.99 ₱318

$5.14 MX$96.5

-2.92%

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

$70.6 ₱4,499

$207 MX$3,878

-65.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,430 ₱154.9K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

-38.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.90 ₱2,224

$43.35 MX$814

-19.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.11 ₱1,218

$41.44 MX$778

-53.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.2 ₱4,475

$74.2 MX$1,393

-5.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.5 ₱3,985

$89.3 MX$1,676

-29.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 ₱27.2K

$980 MX$18.4K

-56.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$312 ₱19.9K

$381 MX$7,150

-18.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$828 ₱52.7K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-51.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 ₱23.3K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-65.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,864 ₱118.8K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-52.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$567 ₱36.1K

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-90.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$512 ₱32.6K

$735 MX$13.8K

-30.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-38.86%

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

Last update for Pasay: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Pasay

$312 34.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 21.9% $69

Groceries & Markets

Pasay

$183 20.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 39.4% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasay

$178 19.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 22.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Pasay

$84 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 32.9% $28

Eating Out

Pasay

$81 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 149% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Pasay

$57 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 17.6% $10

Getting Around

Pasay

$2.6 * 0.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 1818% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $427 in Pasay 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.

Salaries run about 43% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Pasay versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $255 – making Pasay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Pasay

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

21:38 9:38 PM

13 h behind Pasay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

416,522

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pasay Playa del Carmen 15,040 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Pasay
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $898 in Pasay, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Pasay comes out roughly 25% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,347 per month in Pasay 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 Pasay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $427 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Pasay and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Pasay, where all-in costs run around $898, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Pasay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Pasay. 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.