Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bacolod

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacolod: $598 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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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

$1,204

/mo nomad

Bacolod

🇵🇭 Philippines

$598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $598 in Bacolod, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Bacolod $598

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $867 in Bacolod, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bacolod $867

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,135 in Bacolod, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Bacolod $1,135

Playa del Carmen costs about 101% more than Bacolod, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Bacolod are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Bacolod 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.36 ₱150

362.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$12.74 ₱809

240.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$3.90 ₱247

202.05%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$2.30 ₱146

65.65%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$0.67 ₱42.67

91.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.36 ₱23.13

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$1.31 ₱83.2

141.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$1.84 ₱117

167.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.50 ₱95.3

-6.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$1.09 ₱69.4

103.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$0.95 ₱60.5

49.47%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$1.58 ₱101

59.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$8.64 ₱549

-15.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.47 ₱411

19.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$3.45 ₱219

-19.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$2.39 ₱152

-42.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$0.56 ₱35.71

278.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$1.97 ₱125

-4.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$1.00 ₱63.7

18.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$2.73 ₱173

57.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$0.88 ₱55.6

79.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.17 ₱10.60

223.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$0.65 ₱41.17

664.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.25 ₱79.2

15.20%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$21.3K ₱1.4M

-2.83%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$22.9K ₱1.5M

2.57%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$137 ₱8,730

-38.32%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$7.72 ₱490

203.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$27.18 ₱1,726

5.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$15.83 ₱1,005

260.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

$2.33 ₱148

1140.77%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$4.44 ₱282

15.77%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$31.16 ₱1,979

562.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$257 ₱16.3K

281.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$178 ₱11.3K

113.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$466 ₱29.6K

266.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$339 ₱21.5K

217.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$202 ₱12.8K

263.94%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bacolod: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Bacolod

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Bacolod

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Bacolod

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Bacolod

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Bacolod

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Bacolod

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bacolod

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $257 in Bacolod. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $13 in Bacolod. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $149 – making Bacolod the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Bacolod

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

13:15 1:15 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

561,875

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.51 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.18 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bacolod 15,230 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bacolod

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 Bacolod: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $598 in Bacolod – Bacolod comes out roughly 50% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $898 in Bacolod. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacolod, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $257 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $13 in Bacolod. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 71% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bacolod, where all-in costs run around $598, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Bacolod it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $598 in Bacolod to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Bacolod. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.