Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bacong

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacong: $618 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Bacong
Learn more

Bacong Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Bacong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$618

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $618 in Bacong, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Bacong $618

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $983 in Bacong, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bacong $983

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,348 in Bacong, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Bacong $1,348

Playa del Carmen costs about 95% more than Bacong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Bacong are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Bacong 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$2.71 ₱172

293.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$18.54 ₱1,179

136.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$3.15 ₱200

274.29%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.08 ₱132

82.21%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.67 ₱42.88

94.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.33 ₱21.29

151.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$0.84 ₱53.3

275.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.70 ₱108

190.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.64 ₱105

-14.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.17 ₱74.4

88.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.87 ₱55.6

68.97%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$1.95 ₱124

28.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$5.81 ₱369

25.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.09 ₱260

94.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$5.93 ₱377

116.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$3.27 ₱208

-11.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.01 ₱64.5

36.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$3.01 ₱192

-17.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$1.42 ₱90.3

42.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$2.36 ₱150

-14.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.76 ₱175

-31.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.44 ₱91.7

-20.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.74 ₱47.25

67.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$3.02 ₱192

41.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$6.11 ₱389

60.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.08 ₱68.6

47.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.26 ₱80.2

118.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.24 ₱15.30

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$12.37 ₱787

121.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.80 ₱50.8

495.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.35 ₱22.26

828.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$2.40 ₱153

124.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.90 ₱57.3

70.00%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$21.2K ₱1.4M

-0.14%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

20.75%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$49.80 ₱3,166

67.65%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$9.22 ₱586

151.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$26.84 ₱1,706

2.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$31.50 ₱2,003

79.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$5.06 ₱321

457.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$4.67 ₱297

7.07%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$30.67 ₱1,950

575.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$7,920 ₱503.5K

-33.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$23.88 ₱1,518

81.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$19.30 ₱1,227

120.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$54.1 ₱3,442

34.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$23.13 ₱1,471

282.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$148 ₱9,406

572.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$169 ₱10.8K

125.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$485 ₱30.8K

245.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$355 ₱22.6K

204.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,635 ₱167.6K

48.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,104 ₱70.2K

456.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.33

56.21%

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 Bacong: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Bacong

$169 27.4% 55.7% $213

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Bacong

$184 29.8% 28.4% $73

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Bacong

$68 11% 66.2% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Bacong

$86 13.9% 36.1% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Bacong

$54 8.8% 51.3% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Bacong

$41 6.6% 38.5% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bacong

$16 2.6% 68.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $148 in Bacong. 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 Bacong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $184 – making Bacong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Bacong

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

07:49 7:49 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

41,207

💱 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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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bacong 15,320 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bacong

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 Bacong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 95%, 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 $927 in Bacong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $148 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $19 in Bacong. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $618 in Bacong. That makes Bacong about 49% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bacong, where all-in costs run around $618, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Bacong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Bacong is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 49% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.