Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Alabang

For one person, living is cheaper in Alabang: $720 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Alabang
Learn more

Alabang Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Alabang

🇵🇭 Philippines

$720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $720 in Alabang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Alabang $720

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,092 in Alabang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Alabang $1,092

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,464 in Alabang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Alabang $1,464

Playa del Carmen costs about 67% more than Alabang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Alabang are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Alabang 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.87 ₱246

175.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$18.83 ₱1,197

132.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$2.79 ₱177

322.58%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.32 ₱147

63.36%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.67 ₱42.82

94.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.30 ₱19.39

176.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$0.95 ₱60.6

231.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.85 ₱118

166.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.58 ₱101

-10.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.10 ₱69.8

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.83 ₱52.8

77.11%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$1.72 ₱109

45.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$4.62 ₱294

57.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.30 ₱210

140.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$6.75 ₱429

90.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.24 ₱142

29.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.39 ₱88.4

-0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$2.26 ₱144

10.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$1.01 ₱63.9

100.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$1.66 ₱105

21.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.75 ₱111

8.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.95 ₱60.6

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.49 ₱31.05

153.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.81 ₱178

51.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$7.27 ₱463

34.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$0.89 ₱56.5

78.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.72 ₱109

59.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.22 ₱13.93

131.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$12.57 ₱799

117.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.81 ₱51.3

487.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.20 ₱12.70

1525.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$1.93 ₱123

179.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.17 ₱74.5

30.77%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

2.46%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

23.23%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$139 ₱8,833

-39.90%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$14.44 ₱918

60.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$23.38 ₱1,486

18.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$31.13 ₱1,979

81.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$5.23 ₱333

439.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$5.17 ₱329

-3.29%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$71.2 ₱4,529

190.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$2,475 ₱157.3K

111.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$28.21 ₱1,794

54.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$19.28 ₱1,226

120.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$70.3 ₱4,469

3.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$55.0 ₱3,496

60.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$215 ₱13.7K

362.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$168 ₱10.7K

128.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$496 ₱31.5K

237.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$349 ₱22.2K

209.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,641 ₱167.9K

48.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,103 ₱70.1K

456.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.75

69.63%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Alabang: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Alabang

$168 23.3% 56.1% $215

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Alabang

$162 22.5% 37.1% $96

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Alabang

$80 11% 60.3% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Alabang

$177 24.5% 31.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Alabang

$78 10.8% 30.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Alabang

$41 5.8% 37.6% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Alabang

$15 2.1% 69.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $215 in Alabang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $19 in Alabang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $162 – making Alabang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Alabang

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

06:16 6:16 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

71,075

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Alabang 15,050 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Alabang

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 Alabang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,080 in Alabang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alabang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $215 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $19 in Alabang. 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 Alabang, where all-in costs run around $720, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Alabang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Alabang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Alabang is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 40% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.