Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bel Ombre

For one person, living is cheaper in Bel Ombre: $628 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Bel Ombre, Mauritius
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Bel Ombre
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$628
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Bel Ombre

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $628 in Bel Ombre.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Bel Ombre $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,053 in Bel Ombre.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Bel Ombre $1,053

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,477 in Bel Ombre.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Bel Ombre $1,477

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 92% more expensive than in Bel Ombre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Bel Ombre 54% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Bel Ombre
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$6.00 MUR 279
82.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$813
$38.08 MUR 1,774
13.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$7.60 MUR 354
55.00%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.4
$2.61 MUR 121
45.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.03
$1.13 MUR 52.7
13.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.67
$0.68 MUR 31.74
14.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.3
$2.71 MUR 126
16.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.5
$4.80 MUR 224
2.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Bel Ombre
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.35
$1.57 MUR 73.1
-10.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.54
$0.77 MUR 36.07
188.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.56
$1.11 MUR 51.9
27.93%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.27
$2.65 MUR 123
-4.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$5.42 MUR 252
33.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$6.33 MUR 295
21.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$11.25 MUR 524
12.80%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.2
$2.89 MUR 135
-3.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.64
$2.69 MUR 125
-49.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.80
$1.46 MUR 68.1
74.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.78
$3.02 MUR 141
-29.80%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.32
$0.94 MUR 43.67
106.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.34
$1.00 MUR 46.36
89.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.49
$0.70 MUR 32.49
64.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.09
$0.92 MUR 42.92
28.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.5
$6.28 MUR 292
-31.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$186
$8.28 MUR 386
20.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.67
$1.65 MUR 77.1
-4.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$2.38 MUR 111
12.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Bel Ombre
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.37
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$499
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.1
$4.15 MUR 193
19.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.4
$3.19 MUR 149
4.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$100
$21.58 MUR 1,005
-75.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.06
$1.35 MUR 62.9
6.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$387.3K
$37.1K MUR 1.7M
-44.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$439.7K
$30.6K MUR 1.4M
-23.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Bel Ombre
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,589
$45.18 MUR 2,105
87.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$10.41 MUR 485
124.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$537
$29.70 MUR 1,383
-3.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Bel Ombre
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,069
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$542
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.3
$6.30 MUR 293
-18.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Bel Ombre
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,871
$130 MUR 6,037
59.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.6K
$7,577 MUR 352.9K
-48.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Bel Ombre
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$812
$78.5 MUR 3,657
-44.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$777
$74.5 MUR 3,469
-44.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,390
$119 MUR 5,565
-37.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,672
$78.7 MUR 3,667
13.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Bel Ombre
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,136
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.0K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.4K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Bel Ombre
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
6.67
71.66%

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 Bel Ombre: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Bel Ombre
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Bel Ombre
$220 13.7% $35
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Bel Ombre
$132 34.6% $70
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Bel Ombre
$85 37.7% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Bel Ombre
$158 41.5% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Bel Ombre
$13 * 81.3% $55
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Bel Ombre
$20 * 60.2% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $38 in Bel Ombre for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $220 per month, with Bel Ombre cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇲🇺 Bel Ombre
🕒 Local time
15:55 3:55 PM
00:55 12:55 AM
9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
2,417
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 52.21 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Bel Ombre 16,320 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Bel Ombre

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 Bel Ombre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Bel Ombre?
Bel Ombre wins on cost – living expenses run 48% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Bel Ombre?
You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $942 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.
How do childcare costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Bel Ombre?
Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $130 in Bel Ombre. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Bel Ombre?
Dining out is cheaper in Bel Ombre – a meal for two runs $38 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $800/month in Playa del Carmen or in Bel Ombre?
At $628 in Bel Ombre versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 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.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Playa del Carmen or Bel Ombre?
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.

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