Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Abuja

For one person, living is cheaper in Abuja: $991 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Abuja
Learn more

Abuja Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Abuja

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$991

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Abuja

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 Abuja actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $991 in Abuja.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Abuja $991

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,872 in Abuja.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Abuja $1,872

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,753 in Abuja.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Abuja $2,753

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 22% more expensive than in Abuja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Abuja 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$1.94 ₦2,611

462.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$30.33 ₦40.8K

42.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.08 ₦5,483

188.73%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.28 ₦4,415

16.16%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.43 ₦575

197.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.71 ₦959

9.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$0.97 ₦1,306

226.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.97 ₦2,656

150.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$3.59 ₦4,830

-60.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.29 ₦1,737

72.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$2.27 ₦3,058

-37.44%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.81 ₦2,428

39.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$11.11 ₦14.9K

-34.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$5.35 ₦7,189

43.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$5.82 ₦7,822

118.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.07 ₦2,785

34.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.50 ₦2,013

-8.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.52 ₦2,046

67.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$2.29 ₦3,078

-7.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.79 ₦2,401

8.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.48 ₦3,335

-23.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.59 ₦797

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.39 ₦528

202.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$1.96 ₦2,633

119.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$5.83 ₦7,845

70.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.20 ₦1,610

31.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.85 ₦2,492

44.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.46 ₦622

19.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$32.58 ₦43.8K

-18.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$0.61 ₦826

714.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.81 ₦1,090

311.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$1.85 ₦2,482

189.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.57 ₦768

152.63%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$26.1K ₦35.1M

-20.86%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$37.3K ₦50.2M

-37.13%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$110 ₦148.3K

-23.10%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$6.48 ₦8,717

261.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$29.14 ₦39.2K

-1.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$25.74 ₦34.6K

121.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$9.62 ₦12.9K

200.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$6.31 ₦8,485

-18.54%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$44.68 ₦60.1K

362.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$3,103 ₦4.2M

26.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$26.03 ₦35.0K

66.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$60.8 ₦81.7K

-31.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$76.5 ₦102.9K

-3.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$105 ₦141.8K

-15.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$589 ₦792.6K

66.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$348 ₦467.4K

9.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,405 ₦1.9M

21.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,346 ₦1.8M

-20.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$699 ₦940.4K

463.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$378 ₦508.7K

1528.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$162 ₦218.3K

352.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

22.5

-49.11%

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 Abuja: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Abuja

$348 35.1% 8.7% $33

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Abuja

$218 22% 14.3% $37

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Abuja

$81 8.1% 60.2% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Abuja

$146 14.7% 6.6% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Abuja

$121 12.2% 8.3% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Abuja

$38 3.9% 43% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Abuja

$39 4% 22.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $589 in Abuja. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $30 in Abuja for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $218 per month, with Abuja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇬 Abuja

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

22:16 10:16 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

776,298 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,345 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Abuja 10,120 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Abuja

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 Abuja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $991 in Abuja, so Abuja is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 4.5 times higher, 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $589 in Abuja. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $991 in Abuja – Abuja is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 18% less than in Abuja. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $991 in Abuja versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Abuja but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Abuja 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 – Abuja wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.