Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bel Ombre Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bel Ombre

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,260 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,049 in Bel Ombre.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,125 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,733 in Bel Ombre.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,990 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,417 in Bel Ombre.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 20% more expensive than in Bel Ombre, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Bel Ombre 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.72 MX$203

$6.74 MUR 316

73.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.89 MX$725

$43.87 MUR 2,055

-4.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 MX$182

$7.09 MUR 332

48.24%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$62.0

$2.56 MUR 120

40.23%

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

$1.51 MX$26.10

$1.03 MUR 48.42

46.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 MX$15.83

$0.55 MUR 25.85

67.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 MX$51.2

$2.26 MUR 106

30.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$76.3

$3.26 MUR 153

35.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$24.16

$1.71 MUR 79.9

-18.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 MX$32.60

$0.65 MUR 30.57

189.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 MX$26.97

$1.27 MUR 59.7

22.83%

Eggs

$2.61 MX$45.14

$2.26 MUR 106

15.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 MX$144

$11.95 MUR 560

-30.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 MX$145

$6.06 MUR 284

37.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 MX$188

$12.55 MUR 588

-13.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 MX$46.93

$1.97 MUR 92.4

37.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MX$26.04

$1.94 MUR 91.0

-22.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$32.41

$1.44 MUR 67.5

29.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$37.89

$2.60 MUR 122

-15.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$32.14

$1.03 MUR 48.24

80.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 MX$38.59

$1.00 MUR 46.79

123.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.48

$0.79 MUR 37.13

35.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.79

$0.81 MUR 37.78

34.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MX$72.4

$6.79 MUR 318

-38.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 MX$180

$8.47 MUR 397

23.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 MX$28.68

$1.73 MUR 80.8

-4.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$45.19

$2.27 MUR 106

14.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.37

$1.04 MUR 48.82

-48.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.16 MX$453

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 MX$53.3

$4.28 MUR 200

-28.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$41.61

$2.72 MUR 128

-11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$54.1

$19.55 MUR 916

-83.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.69

$1.46 MUR 68.3

-10.27%

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

$29.8K MX$515.7K

$35.7K MUR 1.7M

-16.59%

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

$23.3K MX$403.5K

$28.6K MUR 1.3M

-18.59%

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

$81.3 MX$1,406

$48.53 MUR 2,273

67.48%

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

$22.56 MX$390

$18.11 MUR 848

24.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.05 MX$520

$33.67 MUR 1,577

-10.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 MX$915

$37.66 MUR 1,764

40.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.39 MX$318

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 MX$85.1

$5.99 MUR 281

-17.86%

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

$201 MX$3,474

$155 MUR 7,276

29.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,175 MX$89.5K

$3,932 MUR 184.2K

31.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.92 MX$622

$86.1 MUR 4,034

-58.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.13 MX$694

$79.6 MUR 3,730

-49.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 MX$1,379

$131 MUR 6,114

-38.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 MX$1,496

$93.7 MUR 4,387

-7.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$978 MX$16.9K

$511 MUR 23.9K

91.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 MX$8,140

$348 MUR 16.3K

35.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,651 MX$28.6K

$941 MUR 44.1K

75.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 MX$20.8K

$716 MUR 33.5K

68.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,953 MX$68.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,607 MX$114.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$677 MX$11.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

6.67

71.21%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: July 27, 2026

Last update for Bel Ombre: July 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $978 in Playa del Carmen and $511 in Bel Ombre. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $44.00 in Bel Ombre. Groceries flip the comparison at $252 vs $230, with Bel Ombre cheaper for home cooking.

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 Bel Ombre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bel Ombre wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bel Ombre the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,890 in Playa del Carmen and $1,574 in Bel Ombre to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $978 in Playa del Carmen versus $511 in Bel Ombre. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $155 in Bel Ombre. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bel Ombre – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $42.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,049 in Bel Ombre versus $1,260 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bel Ombre but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bel Ombre the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bel Ombre delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,049 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bel Ombre hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Bel Ombre are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bel Ombre gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.