Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Playa del Carmen

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Pietermaritzburg is 23% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 15.6% cheaper with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Pietermaritzburg is 17.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 29% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.26 RΒ 136
$11.85 MX$209
-30.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.79 RΒ 705
$42.16 MX$744
1.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 RΒ 94.0
$10.75 MX$190
-46.98%
Cappuccino
$2.13 RΒ 35.08
$3.47 MX$61.3
-38.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 RΒ 15.23
$1.45 MX$25.65
-36.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 RΒ 12.14
$0.90 MX$15.93
-17.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.71 RΒ 28.21
$3.05 MX$53.9
-43.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 RΒ 39.55
$4.42 MX$77.9
-45.70%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 RΒ 17.09
$1.37 MX$24.17
-24.09%
White Bread (500g)
$0.83 RΒ 13.62
$1.87 MX$33.05
-55.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 RΒ 24.92
$1.54 MX$27.25
-1.95%
Eggs
$2.28 RΒ 37.53
$2.50 MX$44.18
-8.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.15 RΒ 118
$8.61 MX$152
-16.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.68 RΒ 77.1
$8.63 MX$152
-45.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.87 RΒ 113
$11.02 MX$195
-37.66%
Apples (1kg)
$1.59 RΒ 26.16
$2.75 MX$48.53
-42.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 RΒ 27.86
$1.43 MX$25.21
18.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 RΒ 32.27
$1.87 MX$33.05
4.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.68 RΒ 27.68
$2.17 MX$38.26
-22.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 RΒ 24.27
$1.88 MX$33.23
-21.81%
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 RΒ 30.30
$2.25 MX$39.65
-18.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 RΒ 21.15
$1.07 MX$18.85
19.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 RΒ 15.48
$1.07 MX$18.95
-12.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.84 RΒ 46.80
$4.15 MX$73.3
-31.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.57 RΒ 58.9
$10.34 MX$182
-65.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 RΒ 23.02
$1.68 MX$29.64
-16.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 RΒ 29.30
$2.48 MX$43.84
-28.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.77 RΒ 45.59
$0.55 MX$9.80
403.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.97 RΒ 296
$26.53 MX$468
-32.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.70 RΒ 28.06
$3.22 MX$56.8
-47.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.56 RΒ 9.22
$2.48 MX$43.80
-77.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.08 RΒ 67.2
$3.11 MX$54.9
31.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 RΒ 19.98
$1.26 MX$22.16
-3.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.1K RΒ 397.4K
$30.7K MX$541.1K
-21.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K RΒ 373.0K
$24.0K MX$424.3K
-5.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$236 RΒ 3,897
$82.5 MX$1,456
186.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.29 RΒ 499
$22.29 MX$393
35.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.3 RΒ 960
$30.02 MX$530
94.07%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.72 RΒ 638
$51.4 MX$908
-24.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.29 MX$323
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.92 RΒ 81.1
$4.98 MX$88.0
-1.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$152 RΒ 2,505
$200 MX$3,530
-24.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,899 RΒ 80.7K
$5,304 MX$93.6K
-7.64%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.1 RΒ 1,007
$35.71 MX$630
71.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.83 RΒ 640
$39.56 MX$698
-1.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$177 RΒ 2,923
$80.6 MX$1,422
120.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.0 RΒ 1,237
$88.3 MX$1,559
-15.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$209 RΒ 3,448
$969 MX$17.1K
-78.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$187 RΒ 3,078
$482 MX$8,511
-61.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$508 RΒ 8,370
$1,595 MX$28.2K
-68.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$378 RΒ 6,238
$1,184 MX$20.9K
-68.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$785 RΒ 12.9K
$4,050 MX$71.5K
-80.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$454 RΒ 7,488
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-93.03%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$923 RΒ 15.2K
$756 MX$13.4K
21.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.5
11.42
0.70%

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

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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