Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Albay

For one person, living is cheaper in Albay: $740 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Albay
Learn more

Albay Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Albay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $740 in Albay.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Albay $740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,099 in Albay.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Albay $1,099

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,457 in Albay.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Albay $1,457

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 64% more expensive than in Albay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Albay 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$3.98 ₱250

170.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$17.00 ₱1,070

153.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$2.72 ₱171

333.46%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.27 ₱143

70.48%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.62 ₱39.23

120.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.33 ₱21.01

154.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.17 ₱73.6

164.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$1.97 ₱124

157.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.85 ₱116

-22.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.04 ₱65.2

114.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.86 ₱54.0

70.93%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.99 ₱125

27.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$4.92 ₱310

48.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$4.17 ₱263

88.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$6.55 ₱413

95.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.71 ₱171

7.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.58 ₱99.3

-8.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.12 ₱133

20.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.03 ₱65.0

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.78 ₱112

12.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$2.26 ₱142

-11.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.86 ₱53.9

38.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.49 ₱30.89

157.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$2.67 ₱168

64.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$7.49 ₱472

28.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.10 ₱69.2

44.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.88 ₱118

49.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.26 ₱16.50

119.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$10.06 ₱634

176.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$0.68 ₱42.90

632.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.19 ₱11.90

1742.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$1.65 ₱104

227.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.38 ₱87.1

6.52%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$18.5K ₱1.2M

13.67%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$19.5K ₱1.2M

22.32%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$115 ₱7,229

-26.65%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$15.40 ₱970

55.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$25.92 ₱1,632

11.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$37.20 ₱2,342

69.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$5.27 ₱332

452.94%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$5.34 ₱336

-7.49%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$133 ₱8,400

52.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$7,069 ₱445.1K

-44.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$28.70 ₱1,807

51.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$19.91 ₱1,254

116.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$72.9 ₱4,587

3.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$50.2 ₱3,160

76.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$230 ₱14.5K

339.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$190 ₱11.9K

97.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$489 ₱30.8K

249.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$328 ₱20.6K

237.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$2,576 ₱162.2K

53.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$959 ₱60.4K

543.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$163 ₱10.2K

363.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.79

68.63%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Albay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Albay

$190 25.6% 49.3% $184

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Albay

$176 23.7% 32.1% $83

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Albay

$81 10.9% 60% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Albay

$156 21.1% 13.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Albay

$77 10.4% 31.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Albay

$48 6.5% 34.3% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Albay

$13 1.7% 75.8% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $230 in Albay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 363% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $17.00 in Albay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $176 per month, with Albay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Albay

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

15:37 3:37 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

179,481

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Albay 14,970 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Albay

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 Albay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Albay differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($1,210 vs $740 including rent). Albay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 363% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $230 in Albay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Albay – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $740 in Albay versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Albay but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Albay 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.

Expats usually find Albay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.