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 11.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 18.2% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Pietermaritzburg is 12.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 29.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.96 RΒ 130
$11.61 MX$200
-31.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.18 RΒ 704
$42.75 MX$738
1.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.51 RΒ 89.8
$10.60 MX$183
-48.02%
Cappuccino
$2.12 RΒ 34.57
$3.59 MX$62.0
-40.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 RΒ 14.16
$1.45 MX$25.08
-40.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 RΒ 11.29
$0.90 MX$15.50
-23.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.63 RΒ 26.61
$3.03 MX$52.4
-46.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 RΒ 39.49
$4.56 MX$78.8
-46.93%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 RΒ 17.46
$1.45 MX$25.07
-26.21%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 RΒ 13.07
$1.83 MX$31.55
-56.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 RΒ 24.48
$1.61 MX$27.77
-6.83%
Eggs
$2.25 RΒ 36.69
$2.54 MX$43.82
-11.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.04 RΒ 115
$8.54 MX$148
-17.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.69 RΒ 76.4
$8.47 MX$146
-44.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.02 RΒ 114
$10.86 MX$188
-35.36%
Apples (1kg)
$1.66 RΒ 27.14
$2.73 MX$47.13
-39.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.76 RΒ 28.75
$1.49 MX$25.77
18.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.00 RΒ 32.67
$1.94 MX$33.55
3.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.67 RΒ 27.16
$2.16 MX$37.38
-22.69%
Potato (1kg)
$1.48 RΒ 24.06
$1.85 MX$31.88
-20.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 RΒ 28.98
$2.19 MX$37.80
-18.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 RΒ 20.92
$1.07 MX$18.52
19.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 RΒ 15.69
$1.08 MX$18.71
-11.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.90 RΒ 47.29
$4.06 MX$70.1
-28.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.61 RΒ 58.9
$10.46 MX$181
-65.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 RΒ 23.62
$1.65 MX$28.56
-12.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 RΒ 28.94
$2.55 MX$44.01
-30.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.70 RΒ 44.03
$0.56 MX$9.60
382.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.09 RΒ 295
$26.20 MX$453
-30.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.64 RΒ 26.71
$3.14 MX$54.2
-47.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 RΒ 8.59
$2.37 MX$40.96
-77.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.97 RΒ 64.7
$3.24 MX$56.0
22.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 RΒ 20.29
$1.31 MX$22.70
-5.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.0K RΒ 391.2K
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-21.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K RΒ 368.0K
$23.8K MX$411.4K
-5.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$237 RΒ 3,857
$83.1 MX$1,436
184.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.12 RΒ 491
$22.15 MX$383
35.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.2 RΒ 948
$29.37 MX$507
98.03%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.31 RΒ 624
$51.2 MX$884
-25.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.69 MX$323
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.08 RΒ 82.8
$4.89 MX$84.4
3.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$149 RΒ 2,427
$199 MX$3,431
-25.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,742 RΒ 77.3K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
-8.93%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.1 RΒ 996
$35.93 MX$621
70.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.43 RΒ 626
$39.39 MX$680
-2.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$181 RΒ 2,947
$80.3 MX$1,387
125.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.5 RΒ 1,197
$87.6 MX$1,512
-16.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$208 RΒ 3,398
$963 MX$16.6K
-78.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$185 RΒ 3,018
$482 MX$8,326
-61.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$518 RΒ 8,449
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-68.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 RΒ 6,212
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-68.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$756 RΒ 12.3K
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-80.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$445 RΒ 7,247
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-93.17%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Pietermaritzburg
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$884 RΒ 14.4K
$726 MX$12.5K
21.71%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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