Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bago

For one person, living is cheaper in Bago: $688 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Bago
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Bago Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Bago

🇵🇭 Philippines

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $688 in Bago.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Bago $688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,080 in Bago.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bago $1,080

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,472 in Bago.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Bago $1,472

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 75% more expensive than in Bago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Bago 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$206

$4.40 ₱281

148.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$818

$15.67 ₱1,000

176.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$222

$2.86 ₱183

311.89%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.9

$2.35 ₱150

62.13%

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

$1.28 MX$24.19

$0.69 ₱43.77

85.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.77

$0.32 ₱20.50

143.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.7

$1.26 ₱80.4

151.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$93.1

$1.80 ₱115

173.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.53

$1.59 ₱101

-11.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.82

$1.24 ₱79.1

79.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.73

$0.92 ₱58.9

54.35%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.59

$1.72 ₱110

46.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$6.11 ₱390

18.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$4.56 ₱291

68.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$7.00 ₱447

81.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.5

$2.70 ₱172

2.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.81

$1.38 ₱88.2

-0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$48.12

$2.18 ₱139

16.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$40.05

$1.12 ₱71.6

89.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.56

$1.79 ₱114

8.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.58

$2.05 ₱131

-7.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.63

$1.14 ₱72.7

0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.24

$0.52 ₱33.02

126.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$81.0

$2.69 ₱172

59.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$188

$6.84 ₱437

45.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.87

$1.01 ₱64.7

56.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.4

$1.68 ₱107

58.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.44

$0.20 ₱12.67

175.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$502

$12.19 ₱778

118.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.7

$0.80 ₱50.8

521.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.8

$0.24 ₱15.43

1287.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$1.79 ₱115

199.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.24

$1.34 ₱85.6

7.46%

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

$20.7K MX$389.8K

$18.2K ₱1.2M

13.84%

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

$23.5K MX$442.6K

$17.3K ₱1.1M

35.86%

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

$84.8 MX$1,599

$113 ₱7,192

-24.73%

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

$23.41 MX$442

$14.33 ₱915

63.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$541

$22.00 ₱1,405

30.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,076

$28.03 ₱1,790

103.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$545

$4.61 ₱294

527.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.9

$5.27 ₱337

-2.47%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$112 ₱7,165

84.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$74.1K

$8,644 ₱551.9K

-54.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$818

$30.74 ₱1,963

41.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$782

$17.38 ₱1,110

138.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,400

$61.6 ₱3,935

20.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,684

$58.9 ₱3,763

51.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.5K

$286 ₱18.3K

242.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,184

$144 ₱9,182

164.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.2K

$553 ₱35.3K

208.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.3K

$357 ₱22.8K

201.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.4K

$2,770 ₱176.9K

42.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$116.2K

$968 ₱61.8K

535.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.92

65.46%

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 Bago: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Bago

$144 20.9% 62.2% $237

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Bago

$179 26.1% 29.6% $75

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Bago

$86 12.5% 57.6% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Bago

$149 21.7% 8.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Bago

$76 11% 32% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Bago

$39 5.6% 42.7% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bago

$15 2.2% 70.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $286 in Bago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $16 in Bago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $179 per month, with Bago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Bago

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

10:20 10:20 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

191,210

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.3 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 30, 2026: 1 USD = 18.86 MXN (100 MXN = 5.3 USD). 1 EUR = 21.02 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 63.85 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bago 15,250 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bago

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 Bago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bago is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,031 in Bago 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $286 in Bago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $112 in Bago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $688 in Bago versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bago but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bago 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 Bago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.