Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bayawan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Bayawan City: $723 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Bayawan City
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Bayawan City Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Bayawan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Bayawan City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $723 in Bayawan City.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Bayawan City $723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,126 in Bayawan City.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bayawan City $1,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,529 in Bayawan City.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Bayawan City $1,529

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 66% more expensive than in Bayawan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Bayawan City 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.83 ₱244

178.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$23.91 ₱1,520

83.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$3.98 ₱253

196.23%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.56 ₱163

48.05%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.64 ₱40.51

103.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.46 ₱29.38

80.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.67 ₱106

88.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.25 ₱143

119.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.76 ₱112

-19.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.13 ₱71.9

94.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.68 ₱43.17

116.18%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$1.93 ₱123

29.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$4.73 ₱301

54.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.28 ₱272

85.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.21 ₱458

78.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$3.26 ₱207

-11.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.31 ₱83.5

5.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$2.36 ₱150

5.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$1.49 ₱94.8

36.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$2.28 ₱145

-11.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.86 ₱118

2.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.06 ₱67.5

7.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.65 ₱41.21

90.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.95 ₱188

44.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$4.72 ₱300

107.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$0.75 ₱47.75

112.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.69 ₱107

62.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.24 ₱15.28

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$12.18 ₱775

124.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.78 ₱49.63

510.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.22 ₱14.00

1377.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$1.89 ₱120

185.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.07 ₱68.2

42.99%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$21.4K ₱1.4M

-0.68%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

23.06%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$116 ₱7,389

-28.16%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$15.66 ₱995

48.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$27.67 ₱1,759

-0.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$31.14 ₱1,980

81.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$5.31 ₱338

430.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$1.55 ₱98.3

222.58%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$128 ₱8,152

61.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$7,957 ₱505.9K

-34.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$32.82 ₱2,087

32.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$19.53 ₱1,242

117.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$73.9 ₱4,700

-1.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$57.4 ₱3,647

54.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$246 ₱15.6K

304.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$164 ₱10.4K

133.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$493 ₱31.4K

239.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$347 ₱22.1K

211.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,664 ₱169.4K

46.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,112 ₱70.7K

452.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$110 ₱7,022

653.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.2

59.03%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bayawan City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Bayawan City

$164 22.7% 57.2% $219

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Bayawan City

$177 24.5% 31.3% $81

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Bayawan City

$91 12.5% 54.8% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Bayawan City

$160 22.1% 18.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Bayawan City

$83 11.4% 25.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Bayawan City

$34 4.7% 48.5% $32

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bayawan City

$15 2.1% 70.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $246 in Bayawan City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 7.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $24 in Bayawan City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $177 per month, with Bayawan City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Bayawan City

🕒 Local time

17:56 5:56 PM

06:56 6:56 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

122,747

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bayawan City 15,350 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bayawan City

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 Bayawan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $723 in Bayawan City, so Bayawan City is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 7.5 times higher, 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $246 in Bayawan City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bayawan City – a meal for two runs $24 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $723 in Bayawan City versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bayawan City but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bayawan City 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 Bayawan City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.