Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Apia

For one person, living is cheaper in Apia: $850 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Apia

🇼🇸 Samoa

$850

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $850 in Apia.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Apia $850

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,289 in Apia.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Apia $2,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,728 in Apia.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Apia $3,728

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 41% more expensive than in Apia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Apia 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$46.83 WST 130

-77.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$35.74 WST 99.2

22.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$14.46 WST 40.15

-18.46%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$2.94 WST 8.16

28.91%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$1.79 WST 4.98

-27.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$1.40 WST 3.88

-40.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$3.52 WST 9.77

-10.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$3.73 WST 10.35

32.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.79 WST 4.96

-21.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$0.85 WST 2.37

158.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.83 WST 5.09

-19.67%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$4.30 WST 11.93

-41.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$0.93 WST 2.59

683.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$3.58 WST 9.93

122.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$8.13 WST 22.57

58.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$5.06 WST 14.05

-42.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$1.86 WST 5.18

-25.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$1.84 WST 5.12

35.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$4.43 WST 12.31

-54.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$3.71 WST 10.29

-45.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$1.06 WST 2.95

79.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$1.23 WST 3.40

0.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$6.28 WST 17.44

-32.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$16.68 WST 46.31

-41.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

$1.78 WST 4.93

-10.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$3.74 WST 10.39

-26.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

$3.66 WST 10.17

-86.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$5.58 WST 15.48

-14.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$5.42 WST 15.05

-40.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$22.23 WST 61.7

-75.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$1.06 WST 2.95

44.34%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

$17.96 WST 49.85

364.87%

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

$23.19 MX$434

$18.09 WST 50.2

28.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$35.80 WST 99.4

-22.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

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

$207 MX$3,873

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$1,764 WST 4,897

-38.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Apia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Apia

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Apia

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Apia

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Apia

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Apia

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Apia

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Apia

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $36 in Apia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $240 per month, with Apia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇼🇸 Apia

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

04:07 4:07 AM

18 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

36,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Samoan Tala WST T

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 WST = 0.36 USD

1 WST = 0.321 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

WST, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Samoan Tala exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2.78 WST (1 WST = 0.36 USD). 1 EUR = 3.12 WST (1 WST = 0.321 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Apia 10,010 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Apia

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 Apia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Apia wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Apia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,275 in Apia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $850 in Apia – Apia is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Apia is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.