Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Abomey-Calavi

For one person, living is cheaper in Abomey-Calavi: $712 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Abomey-Calavi
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Abomey-Calavi Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Abomey-Calavi

🇧🇯 Benin

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Abomey-Calavi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Abomey-Calavi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $712 in Abomey-Calavi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Abomey-Calavi $712

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,119 in Abomey-Calavi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Abomey-Calavi $1,119

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,526 in Abomey-Calavi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Abomey-Calavi $1,526

Playa del Carmen costs about 69% more than Abomey-Calavi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Abomey-Calavi are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Abomey-Calavi 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.67 F CFA 3,334

92.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$25.09 F CFA 14.7K

72.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.97 F CFA 4,682

47.80%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$4.61 F CFA 2,706

-17.35%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.14 F CFA 668

12.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.75 F CFA 1,028

-55.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.71 F CFA 1,007

85.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$5.03 F CFA 2,957

-1.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.18 F CFA 1,282

-35.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.25 F CFA 146

788.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.97 F CFA 1,158

-27.92%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.92 F CFA 1,125

31.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$3.40 F CFA 1,997

113.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$3.94 F CFA 2,313

95.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$6.06 F CFA 3,563

109.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.10 F CFA 1,232

32.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$0.87 F CFA 513

57.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$0.70 F CFA 410

264.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$2.09 F CFA 1,226

1.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.93 F CFA 544

108.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$0.76 F CFA 444

148.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.71 F CFA 414

61.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.88 F CFA 515

34.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$0.41 F CFA 243

948.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$10.84 F CFA 6,368

-8.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$0.92 F CFA 543

71.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.09 F CFA 642

144.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$7.62 F CFA 4,479

249.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.74 F CFA 1,022

185.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.74 F CFA 1,023

91.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.20 F CFA 705

20.00%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$118 F CFA 69.3K

-28.09%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$19.68 F CFA 11.6K

18.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$86.4 F CFA 50.7K

-66.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$33.76 F CFA 19.8K

68.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$5.18 F CFA 3,042

458.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$5.99 F CFA 3,519

-14.19%

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$16.82 F CFA 9,881

157.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$8.48 F CFA 4,981

388.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$25.81 F CFA 15.2K

187.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$25.94 F CFA 15.2K

244.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$96.9 F CFA 56.9K

911.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$72.2 F CFA 42.4K

427.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$209 F CFA 122.6K

718.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$275 F CFA 161.7K

290.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$85.1 F CFA 50.0K

763.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Abomey-Calavi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Abomey-Calavi

$72 10.1% 81% $309

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Abomey-Calavi

$163 22.9% 36% $92

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Abomey-Calavi

$155 21.7% 23.5% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Abomey-Calavi

$224 31.4% 63.7% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Abomey-Calavi

$35 4.9% 69% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Abomey-Calavi

$46 6.4% 32.1% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Abomey-Calavi

$18 * 2.5% 64.2% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $97 in Abomey-Calavi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 8.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $25 in Abomey-Calavi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $163 – making Abomey-Calavi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇯 Abomey-Calavi

🕒 Local time

09:35 9:35 AM

15:35 3:35 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

650,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Abomey-Calavi 9,700 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Abomey-Calavi

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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,069 in Abomey-Calavi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abomey-Calavi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $97 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $712 in Abomey-Calavi. That makes Abomey-Calavi about 41% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $25 in Abomey-Calavi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Abomey-Calavi, where all-in costs run around $712, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Abomey-Calavi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $712 in Abomey-Calavi to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Abomey-Calavi. 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.