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: $1,287 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,061 in Bel Ombre.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,744 in Bel Ombre.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,428 in Bel Ombre.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 21% more expensive than Bel Ombre, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 4% lower, Bel Ombre 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 MX$208

$6.58 MUR 307

81.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$744

$43.60 MUR 2,038

-1.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 MX$184

$7.28 MUR 340

45.47%

Cappuccino

$3.62 MX$63.0

$2.54 MUR 119

42.52%

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

$1.47 MX$25.54

$1.01 MUR 46.99

45.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$16.41

$0.60 MUR 27.87

56.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 MX$53.8

$2.23 MUR 104

38.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MX$77.6

$3.35 MUR 156

33.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$24.80

$1.68 MUR 78.4

-14.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 MX$32.79

$0.66 MUR 30.80

184.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$28.34

$1.28 MUR 59.8

27.34%

Eggs

$2.64 MX$45.99

$2.35 MUR 110

12.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 MX$143

$11.79 MUR 551

-30.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 MX$144

$6.03 MUR 282

37.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 MX$193

$12.76 MUR 596

-13.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MX$46.14

$2.07 MUR 96.8

28.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$26.11

$1.93 MUR 90.4

-22.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.59

$1.44 MUR 67.3

38.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 MX$36.13

$2.72 MUR 127

-23.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$31.11

$1.00 MUR 46.60

79.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 MX$37.87

$0.94 MUR 43.99

131.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MX$18.73

$0.84 MUR 39.35

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.04

$0.82 MUR 38.20

26.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 MX$69.1

$6.56 MUR 307

-39.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 MX$178

$8.65 MUR 404

17.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$30.04

$1.81 MUR 84.5

-4.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 MX$43.46

$2.19 MUR 102

14.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.02

$0.99 MUR 46.29

-47.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.97 MX$469

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$54.7

$4.51 MUR 211

-30.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$41.80

$2.61 MUR 122

-8.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 MX$53.7

$20.19 MUR 944

-84.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$22.16

$1.46 MUR 68.4

-13.01%

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

$30.9K MX$537.3K

$35.7K MUR 1.7M

-13.60%

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

$23.3K MX$405.7K

$28.4K MUR 1.3M

-17.87%

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

$82.0 MX$1,427

$48.57 MUR 2,270

68.85%

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

$22.45 MX$391

$18.54 MUR 867

21.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.66 MX$516

$33.96 MUR 1,588

-12.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$903

$38.85 MUR 1,816

33.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.67 MX$325

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MX$86.5

$6.21 MUR 290

-19.97%

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

$198 MX$3,442

$155 MUR 7,230

27.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,273 MX$91.7K

$3,951 MUR 184.7K

33.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.34 MX$632

$85.1 MUR 3,977

-57.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 MX$697

$78.2 MUR 3,658

-48.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MX$1,390

$130 MUR 6,084

-38.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 MX$1,547

$93.5 MUR 4,369

-4.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.8K

$510 MUR 23.8K

89.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 MX$8,086

$353 MUR 16.5K

31.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,596 MX$27.8K

$966 MUR 45.2K

65.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 MX$21.0K

$725 MUR 33.9K

66.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$68.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,448 MX$112.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$720 MX$12.5K

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: April 25, 2026

Last update for Bel Ombre: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $963 in Playa del Carmen and $510 in Bel Ombre. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $44.00 in Bel Ombre. Groceries flip the comparison at $251 vs $232, 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 21% 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 $1,930 in Playa del Carmen and $1,591 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: $963 in Playa del Carmen versus $510 in Bel Ombre. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $198 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,061 in Bel Ombre versus $1,287 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 $1,061 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 21% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.