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: $1,271 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,043 in Bel Ombre.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,736 in Bel Ombre.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,430 in Bel Ombre.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 22% more expensive than Bel Ombre, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Bel Ombre 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.87 MX$204

$6.44 MUR 303

84.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.90 MX$736

$44.83 MUR 2,111

-4.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$183

$7.11 MUR 335

49.79%

Cappuccino

$3.45 MX$59.2

$2.60 MUR 122

32.69%

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

$1.50 MX$25.81

$1.04 MUR 48.88

44.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 MX$16.28

$0.57 MUR 26.64

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$51.9

$2.14 MUR 101

41.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MX$79.1

$3.33 MUR 157

38.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$23.61

$1.68 MUR 78.9

-17.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 MX$31.70

$0.69 MUR 32.65

168.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.65

$1.32 MUR 62.3

21.97%

Eggs

$2.59 MX$44.51

$2.34 MUR 110

10.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 MX$142

$11.66 MUR 549

-29.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 MX$144

$6.02 MUR 283

39.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 MX$183

$12.50 MUR 588

-14.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 MX$45.12

$1.98 MUR 93.3

32.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.53

$1.92 MUR 90.6

-22.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 MX$32.94

$1.50 MUR 70.7

28.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$35.81

$2.74 MUR 129

-23.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$31.88

$1.00 MUR 46.97

86.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 MX$38.81

$0.93 MUR 43.73

143.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MX$18.23

$0.79 MUR 37.06

34.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.67

$0.79 MUR 37.42

37.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$71.2

$6.63 MUR 312

-37.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 MX$178

$8.34 MUR 393

24.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 MX$29.59

$1.77 MUR 83.4

-2.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$44.85

$2.18 MUR 103

19.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.30

$1.03 MUR 48.54

-47.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 MX$462

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$53.7

$4.44 MUR 209

-29.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 MX$43.09

$2.70 MUR 127

-7.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$54.1

$20.14 MUR 948

-84.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$21.88

$1.39 MUR 65.6

-8.63%

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

$30.4K MX$521.3K

$35.7K MUR 1.7M

-14.88%

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

$23.6K MX$404.5K

$28.2K MUR 1.3M

-16.58%

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

$83.0 MX$1,425

$49.67 MUR 2,339

67.10%

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

$22.71 MX$390

$18.19 MUR 857

24.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.46 MX$506

$33.38 MUR 1,572

-11.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 MX$875

$38.59 MUR 1,817

32.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 MX$315

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MX$84.5

$5.98 MUR 282

-17.56%

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

$197 MX$3,386

$151 MUR 7,116

30.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,280 MX$90.6K

$3,888 MUR 183.1K

35.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.90 MX$633

$85.8 MUR 4,042

-57.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 MX$685

$80.4 MUR 3,785

-50.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 MX$1,373

$131 MUR 6,152

-38.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 MX$1,536

$93.2 MUR 4,387

-3.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$16.4K

$514 MUR 24.2K

86.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,189

$354 MUR 16.7K

34.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 MX$28.3K

$959 MUR 45.1K

71.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 MX$21.0K

$712 MUR 33.5K

72.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,918 MX$67.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,459 MX$110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 MX$11.4K

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: June 7, 2026

Last update for Bel Ombre: June 9, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Playa del Carmen and $514 in Bel Ombre. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $45.00 in Bel Ombre. Groceries flip the comparison at $250 vs $229, 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 22% 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 $1,906 in Playa del Carmen and $1,564 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: $956 in Playa del Carmen versus $514 in Bel Ombre. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $197 in Playa del Carmen versus $151 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 $45.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,043 in Bel Ombre versus $1,271 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 $1,043 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 22% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.