Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Baie du Tombeau

For one person, living is cheaper in Baie du Tombeau: $640 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Baie du Tombeau
Learn more

Baie du Tombeau Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Baie du Tombeau

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$640

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Baie du Tombeau

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 Baie du Tombeau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $640 in Baie du Tombeau.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Baie du Tombeau $640

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,072 in Baie du Tombeau.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Baie du Tombeau $1,072

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,505 in Baie du Tombeau.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Baie du Tombeau $1,505

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 88% more expensive than in Baie du Tombeau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Baie du Tombeau 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$4.14 MUR 197

163.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$31.60 MUR 1,498

37.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$6.43 MUR 305

83.20%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.60 MUR 123

46.54%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.03 MUR 48.81

24.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.89 MUR 42.05

-12.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.95 MUR 92.2

62.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$1.25 MUR 59.4

294.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.55 MUR 73.6

-9.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.19 MUR 9.19

1068.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$2.94 MUR 140

-51.70%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.51 MUR 119

0.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$12.98 MUR 615

-44.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$7.50 MUR 355

2.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$10.53 MUR 499

20.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.16 MUR 102

28.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$2.17 MUR 103

-36.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$2.48 MUR 118

2.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.67 MUR 79.2

26.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.04 MUR 49.54

86.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.07 MUR 50.9

76.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.05 MUR 49.65

9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.83 MUR 39.33

42.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$6.48 MUR 307

-33.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$6.41 MUR 304

55.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.86 MUR 88.0

-15.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.11 MUR 99.9

26.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.62 MUR 29.30

-11.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$27.35 MUR 1,297

-2.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.09 MUR 98.9

137.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$3.14 MUR 149

6.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$21.07 MUR 999

-74.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.37 MUR 65.2

5.11%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$31.8K MUR 1.5M

-35.10%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$32.3K MUR 1.5M

-27.39%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$20.97 MUR 994

304.34%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$8.71 MUR 413

168.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$25.28 MUR 1,199

13.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$31.87 MUR 1,511

79.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$6.23 MUR 295

364.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$5.30 MUR 251

-3.02%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$63.2 MUR 2,994

227.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$2,162 MUR 102.5K

81.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$43.06 MUR 2,041

0.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$31.92 MUR 1,513

29.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$63.9 MUR 3,030

16.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$63.4 MUR 3,007

40.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$107 MUR 5,066

816.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$64.8 MUR 3,073

487.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$215 MUR 10.2K

693.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$146 MUR 6,941

634.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$5,372 MUR 254.7K

-26.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$4,287 MUR 203.2K

43.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$639 MUR 30.3K

15.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.12

87.09%

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 Baie du Tombeau: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Baie du Tombeau

$65 10.1% 83% $316

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Baie du Tombeau

$235 36.8% 7.7% $20

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Baie du Tombeau

$104 16.2% 48.8% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Baie du Tombeau

$55 8.6% 59.8% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Baie du Tombeau

$91 14.2% 18.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Baie du Tombeau

$42 6.6% 36.9% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Baie du Tombeau

$48 7.4% 5.6% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $107 in Baie du Tombeau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 15% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $32 in Baie du Tombeau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $235 per month, with Baie du Tombeau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇺 Baie du Tombeau

🕒 Local time

16:38 4:38 PM

01:38 1:38 AM

9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

12,011

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MUR = 2.11 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 47.41 MUR (100 MUR = 2.11 USD). 1 EUR = 52.78 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Baie du Tombeau 16,330 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Baie du Tombeau

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 Baie du Tombeau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baie du Tombeau is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 15% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $107 in Baie du Tombeau. 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 $640 in Baie du Tombeau – Baie du Tombeau is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 3% less than in Baie du Tombeau. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $640 in Baie du Tombeau versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baie du Tombeau but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Baie du Tombeau 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.

It comes down to priorities – Baie du Tombeau wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.