Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $737 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $737 in Baguio.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Baguio $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,148 in Baguio.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Baguio $1,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,558 in Baguio.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Baguio $1,558

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 63% more expensive than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Baguio 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$3.92 ₱250

178.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$16.66 ₱1,061

160.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$2.73 ₱174

331.50%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.80 ₱114

111.67%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.55 ₱35.10

132.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.33 ₱21.21

136.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$0.99 ₱63.4

220.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.54 ₱97.9

220.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.59 ₱101

-11.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.14 ₱72.9

94.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$0.97 ₱61.5

46.39%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.99 ₱127

26.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$5.11 ₱325

42.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$3.27 ₱208

135.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$7.63 ₱486

66.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.19 ₱139

26.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.55 ₱99.0

-11.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.26 ₱144

12.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.02 ₱64.9

107.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.73 ₱110

12.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.69 ₱108

11.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.65 ₱41.11

76.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.51 ₱32.64

131.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$2.94 ₱187

46.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.50 ₱541

17.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$0.95 ₱60.3

66.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.05 ₱131

30.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.22 ₱14.01

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$12.90 ₱822

106.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$0.81 ₱51.7

513.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.24 ₱15.35

1287.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$1.90 ₱121

182.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.19 ₱76.0

21.01%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$21.3K ₱1.4M

-2.79%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

24.92%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$136 ₱8,657

-37.61%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$17.08 ₱1,088

37.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$23.01 ₱1,465

24.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$20.76 ₱1,322

174.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$5.23 ₱333

452.77%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$5.03 ₱321

2.19%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$132 ₱8,438

55.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$10.6K ₱672.0K

-62.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$28.91 ₱1,841

49.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$19.53 ₱1,244

112.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$71.5 ₱4,554

3.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$54.9 ₱3,496

62.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$393 ₱25.1K

149.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$192 ₱12.2K

98.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$819 ₱52.2K

108.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$463 ₱29.5K

132.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$3,156 ₱201.0K

24.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,526 ₱97.2K

303.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$179 ₱11.4K

310.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.75

69.63%

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 Baguio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Baguio

$192 26.1% 49.5% $189

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Baguio

$171 23.2% 32.8% $84

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Baguio

$73 9.9% 64.1% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Baguio

$176 23.9% 28.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Baguio

$79 10.7% 29.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 54.2% $36

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 68.7% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $393 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $17 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $171 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

11:23 11:23 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

366,358

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Baguio 14,910 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Baguio

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 Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 4.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $393 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $737 in Baguio – Baguio is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Baguio runs roughly 52% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Baguio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.