Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bamenda

For one person, living is cheaper in Bamenda: $670 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Bamenda
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Bamenda Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Bamenda

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $670 in Bamenda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Bamenda $670

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $897 in Bamenda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bamenda $897

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,123 in Bamenda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Bamenda $1,123

Playa del Carmen costs about 80% more than Bamenda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Bamenda are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Bamenda 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.05 FCFA 2,951

116.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.52 FCFA 3,814

80.67%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$1.17 FCFA 682

225.64%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.74 FCFA 1,018

-26.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.63 FCFA 370

23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$1.56 FCFA 912

103.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$1.66 FCFA 972

196.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$2.78 FCFA 1,624

-49.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$0.82 FCFA 482

170.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.94 FCFA 1,138

-26.80%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$2.96 FCFA 1,733

-14.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.74 FCFA 2,186

105.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$4.75 FCFA 2,779

167.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$2.59 FCFA 1,516

7.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$0.82 FCFA 482

67.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$1.17 FCFA 684

117.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$1.29 FCFA 755

64.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$2.98 FCFA 1,741

-34.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$1.51 FCFA 886

25.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$0.78 FCFA 455

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.77 FCFA 451

53.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$1.73 FCFA 1,013

148.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$9.62 FCFA 5,628

3.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.40 FCFA 817

12.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.65 FCFA 967

61.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$1.31 FCFA 764

-58.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$8.99 FCFA 5,258

196.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$0.61 FCFA 359

714.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$0.62 FCFA 362

437.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$5.52 FCFA 3,230

-2.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.44 FCFA 840

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$171 FCFA 100.2K

-50.52%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$30.03 FCFA 17.6K

-22.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$42.80 FCFA 25.0K

-33.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$17.19 FCFA 10.1K

231.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$8.48 FCFA 4,960

-39.39%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$169 FCFA 99.1K

21.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$25.42 FCFA 14.9K

70.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$42.49 FCFA 24.9K

-2.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$46.74 FCFA 27.3K

58.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$51.2 FCFA 29.9K

74.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$68.7 FCFA 40.2K

1326.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$33.55 FCFA 19.6K

1035.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$97.3 FCFA 56.9K

654.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Bamenda: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Bamenda

$34 5% 91.2% $347

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Bamenda

$171 * 25.6% 32.7% $83

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Bamenda

$95 14.1% 53.3% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Bamenda

$244 36.4% 78.4% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Bamenda

$75 11.1% 33.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Bamenda

$34 5.1% 49.3% $33

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bamenda

$18 2.7% 64.5% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $69 in Bamenda. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 7.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇲 Bamenda

🕒 Local time

12:34 12:34 PM

18:34 6:34 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,735,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 653 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bamenda 10,520 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bamenda

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 Bamenda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $670 in Bamenda – Bamenda comes out roughly 44% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,006 in Bamenda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bamenda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $69 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $670 in Bamenda. That makes Bamenda about 44% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $169 in Bamenda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bamenda, where all-in costs run around $670, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Bamenda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Bamenda. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.