Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bataan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bataan: $484 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Bataan
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Bataan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Bataan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$484

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $484 in Bataan.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Bataan $484

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $808 in Bataan.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bataan $808

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,132 in Bataan.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Bataan $1,132

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 149% more expensive than in Bataan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Bataan 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$1.35 ₱86.6

708.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$16.58 ₱1,059

161.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$2.67 ₱171

341.20%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.30 ₱83.1

193.08%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.58 ₱37.13

120.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.22 ₱14.03

254.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.00 ₱63.8

217.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$1.55 ₱99.0

218.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.57 ₱100

-10.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.10 ₱70.4

101.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.01 ₱64.6

40.59%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.75 ₱112

44.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$5.10 ₱326

42.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$2.95 ₱189

161.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$7.61 ₱486

66.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.24 ₱143

24.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.52 ₱97.3

-9.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$2.26 ₱144

12.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.06 ₱67.4

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.65 ₱105

17.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.67 ₱107

13.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.60 ₱38.38

91.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.52 ₱33.50

126.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.18 ₱139

97.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$8.40 ₱537

18.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$0.97 ₱61.7

62.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.02 ₱129

32.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.24 ₱15.22

129.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$11.16 ₱713

138.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.75 ₱48.08

562.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.24 ₱15.37

1287.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$1.84 ₱117

191.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.03 ₱66.0

39.81%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

0.07%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$18.7K ₱1.2M

25.75%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$47.28 ₱3,021

79.34%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$17.49 ₱1,117

33.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$22.85 ₱1,460

25.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$31.23 ₱1,996

82.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$5.61 ₱359

415.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$5.01 ₱320

2.59%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$65.6 ₱4,190

214.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$10.7K ₱683.0K

-63.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$27.82 ₱1,778

55.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$19.07 ₱1,218

117.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$69.2 ₱4,422

7.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$55.8 ₱3,565

59.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$161 ₱10.3K

509.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$50.0 ₱3,197

661.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$274 ₱17.5K

523.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$177 ₱11.3K

506.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,553 ₱163.1K

54.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,066 ₱68.1K

477.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$389 ₱24.9K

88.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.75

69.63%

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 Bataan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Bataan

$50 10.3% 86.9% $331

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Bataan

$168 34.7% 34.1% $87

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Bataan

$46 9.5% 77.4% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Bataan

$88 18.1% 36% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Bataan

$77 16% 30.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Bataan

$41 8.5% 38.7% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bataan

$14 2.9% 72.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $161 in Bataan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 89% 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 $17 in Bataan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $168 per month, with Bataan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Bataan

🕒 Local time

14:58 2:58 PM

03:58 3:58 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

6,743

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bataan 15,060 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bataan

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 Bataan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bataan is about 60% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 89% 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 $161 in Bataan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bataan – a meal for two runs $17 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $484 in Bataan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bataan but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bataan 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.

Expats usually find Bataan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.