Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Azua

For one person, living is cheaper in Azua: $657 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Azua
Learn more

Azua Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Azua

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $657 in Azua.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Azua $657

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,055 in Azua.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Azua $1,055

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,453 in Azua.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Azua $1,453

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 83% more expensive than in Azua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Azua 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$8.28 DOP 499

31.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$40.74 DOP 2,459

6.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.82 DOP 412

72.73%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.28 DOP 77.5

197.66%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.71 DOP 43.15

80.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.37 DOP 22.54

110.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.48 DOP 149

27.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.01 DOP 242

22.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.18 DOP 71.4

19.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.77 DOP 107

25.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.00 DOP 60.6

42.00%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.44 DOP 86.9

75.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$6.12 DOP 370

18.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$3.58 DOP 216

115.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$4.66 DOP 281

172.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.74 DOP 226

-25.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.38 DOP 83.2

-0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$3.16 DOP 191

-19.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$2.12 DOP 128

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$3.41 DOP 206

-43.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.92 DOP 176

-35.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.93 DOP 56.2

23.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.65 DOP 99.5

-28.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$4.87 DOP 294

-11.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$16.30 DOP 984

-38.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$3.01 DOP 182

-47.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.42 DOP 206

-21.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$2.39 DOP 144

107.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$3.35 DOP 202

-0.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.43 DOP 86.0

0.70%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$14.9K DOP 898.7K

38.77%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$25.9K DOP 1.6M

-9.29%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$92.4 DOP 5,577

-8.26%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$26.39 DOP 1,593

-11.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$38.56 DOP 2,327

-25.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$19.95 DOP 1,204

185.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$4.97 DOP 300

3.42%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$149 DOP 8,981

38.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$5,366 DOP 323.8K

-26.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$26.08 DOP 1,574

66.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$45.68 DOP 2,757

-9.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$61.4 DOP 3,703

20.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$66.1 DOP 3,986

35.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$3,481 DOP 210.1K

13.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.09%

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 Azua: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Azua

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Azua

$234 35.6% 8.2% $21

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Azua

$127 19.3% 37.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Azua

$157 24% 15% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Azua

$90 13.7% 19.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Azua

$30 4.6% 55.6% $37

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Azua

$19 * 2.9% 62.1% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $41 in Azua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $234 per month, with Azua cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇴 Azua

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

01:43 1:43 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

128,264

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, 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 = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 60.35 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.38 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Azua 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Azua

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 Azua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Azua is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $985 in Azua 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $657 in Azua – Azua is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $657 in Azua versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Azua but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Azua 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.