Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Basseterre

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,454 in Basseterre, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Basseterre outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Basseterre

🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis

$1,454

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,454 in Basseterre, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Basseterre $1,454

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,560 in Basseterre, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Basseterre $1,560

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,666 in Basseterre, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Basseterre $1,666

Playa del Carmen is about 17% cheaper than Basseterre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Basseterre is 7% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$18.78 EC$50.7

-41.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$13.99 EC$37.78

-15.80%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.67 EC$9.90

3.81%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.99 EC$5.38

-35.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$2.25 EC$6.06

-65.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.09 EC$5.65

51.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.74 EC$10.10

31.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.41 EC$6.51

-41.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$3.79 EC$10.24

-41.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$3.64 EC$9.82

-60.99%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$5.46 EC$14.73

-53.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$9.41 EC$25.40

-18.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$4.38 EC$11.82

-36.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$3.02 EC$8.15

-54.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$3.63 EC$9.79

-41.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.16 EC$5.84

-10.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.89 EC$5.10

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.64 EC$1.74

84.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.82 EC$4.93

-13.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.61 EC$9.75

-26.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$2.20 EC$5.95

-75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$20.19 EC$54.5

-75.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$87.9 EC$237

-3.57%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$39.45 EC$107

-40.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$37.23 EC$101

53.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$6.37 EC$17.19

-19.31%

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$88.5 EC$239

-51.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$132 EC$355

-43.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$691 EC$1,867

41.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$640 EC$1,728

-40.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$5,012 EC$13.5K

-21.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$3,994 EC$10.8K

54.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,127 EC$3,042

-34.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

186.25%

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 Basseterre: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Basseterre

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Basseterre

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Basseterre

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Basseterre

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Basseterre

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Basseterre

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Basseterre

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $691 in Basseterre. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 53% higher in Basseterre. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇳 Basseterre

🕒 Local time

03:16 3:16 AM

04:16 4:16 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

13,220 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.332 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, 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 = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.01 XCD (1 XCD = 0.332 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Basseterre 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Basseterre

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 Basseterre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,454 in Basseterre – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 17% 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 $2,182 in Basseterre. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Basseterre, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $691 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,454 in Basseterre. That makes Playa del Carmen about 17% cheaper.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Basseterre – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,454 in Basseterre. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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