Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bata

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,431 in Bata, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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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

Bata

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$1,431

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,431 in Bata, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Bata $1,431

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,102 in Bata, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bata $2,102

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,773 in Bata, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Bata $2,773

Playa del Carmen is about 16% cheaper than Bata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Bata is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$19.02 FCFA 11.2K

-42.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$42.01 FCFA 24.7K

3.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.62 FCFA 1,542

45.42%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.32 FCFA 777

-3.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.88 FCFA 517

-11.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.39 FCFA 1,992

-6.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$4.19 FCFA 2,464

17.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.75 FCFA 1,026

-19.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$3.09 FCFA 1,813

-28.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.49 FCFA 877

-4.70%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.06 FCFA 1,208

22.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$10.35 FCFA 6,082

-29.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$8.49 FCFA 4,987

-9.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$10.25 FCFA 6,020

23.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$10.16 FCFA 5,969

-72.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.69 FCFA 992

-18.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$8.70 FCFA 5,111

-70.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$3.50 FCFA 2,057

-39.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$2.64 FCFA 1,548

-26.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$2.50 FCFA 1,470

-24.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.81 FCFA 478

41.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.26 FCFA 738

-6.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$5.16 FCFA 3,032

-16.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$6.11 FCFA 3,590

62.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$3.50 FCFA 2,058

-54.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.87 FCFA 509

471.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.82 FCFA 480

306.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.09 FCFA 639

32.11%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$339 FCFA 199.3K

-75.01%

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

$23.41 MX$436

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$50.5 FCFA 29.6K

-43.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$68.9 FCFA 40.5K

-17.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

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

$207 MX$3,848

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$77.8 FCFA 45.7K

-44.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$67.3 FCFA 39.5K

-38.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$144 FCFA 84.7K

-48.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$137 FCFA 80.5K

-34.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$376 FCFA 221.0K

160.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$217 FCFA 127.3K

75.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$560 FCFA 329.2K

204.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$337 FCFA 197.7K

219.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$769 FCFA 451.9K

-4.53%

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 Bata: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Bata

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Bata

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Bata

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Bata

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Bata

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Bata

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bata

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $376 in Bata. 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 5% higher in Bata, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $42 in Bata. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $341 in Bata – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇶 Bata

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

01:12 1:12 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

230,282

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.7 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 654 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Bata 10,650 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bata

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 Bata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bata costs about 19% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,146 in Bata. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bata, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $376 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,431 in Bata. That makes Playa del Carmen about 16% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Bata, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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 $1,431 in Bata. 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, Bata makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.