Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Philipsburg and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,119 in Philipsburg, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Philipsburg

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,119

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,119 in Philipsburg versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Philipsburg $3,119
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,130 in Philipsburg versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Philipsburg $6,130
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,141 in Philipsburg versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Philipsburg $9,141
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Philipsburg is roughly 159% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Philipsburg is 131% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.25 ANG 27.30

$10.67 MX$200

42.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.0 ANG 125

$43.80 MX$823

59.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.19 ANG 14.66

$11.79 MX$221

-30.53%

Cappuccino

$4.36 ANG 7.80

$3.79 MX$71.1

15.04%

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

$2.85 ANG 5.11

$1.30 MX$24.36

119.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 ANG 7.18

$0.83 MX$15.65

383.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 ANG 5.22

$3.15 MX$59.1

-7.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.41 ANG 11.47

$4.93 MX$92.7

30.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.92 ANG 5.23

$1.41 MX$26.46

107.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ANG 4.65

$2.20 MX$41.23

18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 ANG 4.43

$1.47 MX$27.66

68.03%

Eggs

$6.58 ANG 11.78

$2.50 MX$46.89

163.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.77 ANG 33.59

$7.29 MX$137

157.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.04 ANG 25.14

$7.95 MX$149

76.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.10 ANG 27.04

$12.86 MX$242

17.42%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 ANG 9.38

$2.90 MX$54.4

80.69%

Banana (1kg)

$5.27 ANG 9.43

$1.38 MX$25.98

281.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$9.04 ANG 16.17

$2.49 MX$46.78

263.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.56 ANG 13.53

$2.03 MX$38.12

272.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 ANG 6.95

$2.02 MX$38.03

92.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.99 ANG 7.14

$1.90 MX$35.74

110.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.94 ANG 8.85

$1.14 MX$21.49

333.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ANG 2.33

$1.24 MX$23.27

4.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.09 ANG 14.47

$4.27 MX$80.2

89.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ANG 19.59

$9.81 MX$184

11.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.10 ANG 9.13

$1.59 MX$29.78

220.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ANG 3.97

$0.51 MX$9.67

335.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$1.46 ANG 2.62

$27.39 MX$514

-94.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$15.16 ANG 27.13

$4.76 MX$89.4

218.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

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

$152 ANG 272

$83.5 MX$1,568

82.19%

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

$32.07 ANG 57.4

$23.19 MX$435

38.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 ANG 118

$27.61 MX$519

139.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.8 ANG 112

$56.4 MX$1,060

11.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

Cinema Ticket

$10.83 ANG 19.38

$5.00 MX$93.9

116.60%

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

$246 ANG 440

$207 MX$3,889

18.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K ANG 21.8K

$5,231 MX$98.2K

132.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,120 ANG 3,795

$995 MX$18.7K

113.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 ANG 3,594

$382 MX$7,181

425.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,575 ANG 11.8K

$1,674 MX$31.4K

292.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,612 ANG 11.8K

$1,081 MX$20.3K

511.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,137 ANG 2,036

$832 MX$15.6K

36.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-56.33%

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

Last update for Philipsburg: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Philipsburg

–

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Groceries & Markets

Philipsburg

–

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Eating Out

Philipsburg

–

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Philipsburg

–

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Philipsburg

–

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Philipsburg

–

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Getting Around

Philipsburg

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,120 in Philipsburg and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Philipsburg pays 37% 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: $70 in Philipsburg vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $497 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇽 Philipsburg

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

00:54 12:54 AM

1 h behind Philipsburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,900 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.498 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ANG – Netherlands Antillean Guilder Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ƒ)

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.498 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to ANG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Philipsburg Playa del Carmen 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Philipsburg
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Philipsburg. 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 37% higher in Philipsburg, 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: $2,120 in Philipsburg versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 93% higher in Philipsburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $70 in Philipsburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,119 in Philipsburg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Philipsburg. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Philipsburg on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.