Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bambous Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bambous

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,287 in Playa del Carmen versus $985 in Bambous.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,620 in Bambous.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,255 in Bambous.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 31% more expensive than Bambous, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 4% lower, Bambous 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 MX$209

$4.38 MUR 205

172.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$748

$43.78 MUR 2,049

-2.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 MX$185

$4.52 MUR 211

134.29%

Cappuccino

$3.62 MX$63.4

$2.21 MUR 103

63.80%

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

$1.47 MX$25.69

$1.02 MUR 47.77

44.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$16.51

$0.45 MUR 21.27

108.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 MX$54.1

$2.25 MUR 105

37.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MX$78.0

$1.69 MUR 79.1

163.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$24.94

$1.23 MUR 57.4

16.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 MX$32.97

$0.65 MUR 30.61

189.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$28.50

$1.12 MUR 52.5

45.54%

Eggs

$2.64 MX$46.26

$2.22 MUR 104

18.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 MX$144

$11.92 MUR 558

-31.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 MX$145

$3.34 MUR 156

148.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 MX$194

$4.27 MUR 200

159.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MX$46.40

$2.05 MUR 96.0

29.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$26.26

$1.95 MUR 91.4

-23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.79

$1.45 MUR 68.1

37.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 MX$36.33

$2.64 MUR 123

-21.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$31.29

$0.99 MUR 46.42

80.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 MX$38.09

$0.93 MUR 43.72

134.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MX$18.84

$0.80 MUR 37.26

35.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.15

$0.76 MUR 35.41

36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 MX$69.5

$6.40 MUR 300

-37.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 MX$179

$8.60 MUR 402

18.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$30.22

$1.73 MUR 80.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 MX$43.71

$2.18 MUR 102

14.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.07

$0.99 MUR 46.38

-47.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.97 MX$472

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$55.0

$4.31 MUR 202

-27.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$42.04

$2.74 MUR 128

-12.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 MX$54.0

$19.51 MUR 913

-84.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$22.28

$1.41 MUR 66.0

-9.93%

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

$30.9K MX$540.4K

$35.8K MUR 1.7M

-13.74%

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

$23.3K MX$408.0K

$28.4K MUR 1.3M

-17.77%

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

$82.0 MX$1,435

$48.82 MUR 2,284

67.98%

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

$22.45 MX$393

$18.00 MUR 842

24.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.66 MX$519

$33.69 MUR 1,576

-11.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$908

$38.75 MUR 1,813

33.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.67 MX$327

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MX$87.0

$6.10 MUR 286

-18.52%

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

$198 MX$3,462

$157 MUR 7,345

26.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,273 MX$92.3K

$3,951 MUR 184.9K

33.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.34 MX$636

$85.0 MUR 3,977

-57.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 MX$701

$79.4 MUR 3,713

-49.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MX$1,398

$134 MUR 6,269

-40.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 MX$1,555

$93.7 MUR 4,383

-5.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.9K

$511 MUR 23.9K

88.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 MX$8,133

$352 MUR 16.5K

32.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,596 MX$27.9K

$939 MUR 43.9K

70.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 MX$21.2K

$727 MUR 34.0K

66.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$69.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,448 MX$112.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$720 MX$12.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

6.67

71.21%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 25, 2026

Last update for Bambous: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $963 in Playa del Carmen and $511 in Bambous. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $44.00 in Bambous. Groceries flip the comparison at $251 vs $186, with Bambous cheaper for home cooking.

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 Bambous: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Bambous differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,287 vs $985 including rent). Bambous is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,930 in Playa del Carmen and $1,478 in Bambous 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: $963 in Playa del Carmen versus $511 in Bambous. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $198 in Playa del Carmen versus $157 in Bambous. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bambous – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $985 in Bambous versus $1,287 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bambous but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bambous 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.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Bambous are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bambous gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.