Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bellville

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Bellville: $1,204 and $1,153 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Bellville
Learn more

Bellville Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Bellville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Bellville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,153 in Bellville.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Bellville $1,153

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,785 in Bellville.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bellville $1,785

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,418 in Bellville.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Bellville $2,418

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 4% more expensive than in Bellville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Bellville 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$12.25 R 204

-10.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$24.27 R 404

78.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$6.08 R 101

93.75%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.96 R 32.66

94.39%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.36 R 22.63

-5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.03 R 17.13

-24.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.23 R 37.10

42.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.67 R 61.2

34.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.37 R 22.75

2.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.26 R 21.00

76.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$2.21 R 36.75

-35.75%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$3.11 R 51.9

-18.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.11 R 152

-20.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.96 R 116

10.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$9.79 R 163

29.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.85 R 30.87

50.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.90 R 31.63

-27.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.76 R 29.36

44.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$2.13 R 35.53

-0.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.52 R 25.30

27.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.50 R 24.98

26.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.31 R 21.85

-12.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.15 R 19.17

2.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.73 R 62.2

15.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$6.24 R 104

59.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.35 R 22.58

17.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.14 R 35.70

24.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.49 R 24.85

-63.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.58 R 9.67

756.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.48 R 24.70

125.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$5.09 R 84.8

5.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.54 R 25.71

-6.49%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$35.3K R 588.7K

-41.50%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$34.4K R 573.9K

-31.86%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$119 R 1,988

-28.93%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$28.93 R 482

-19.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$39.84 R 664

-28.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$33.04 R 551

72.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$11.06 R 184

161.39%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$8.92 R 149

-42.38%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$266 R 4,439

-22.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$6,949 R 115.8K

-43.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$56.9 R 948

-23.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$32.09 R 535

29.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$120 R 1,992

-37.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$107 R 1,784

-16.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$393 R 6,553

149.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$362 R 6,038

5.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$727 R 12.1K

135.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$746 R 12.4K

44.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$879 R 14.6K

348.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$685 R 11.4K

798.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.97

4.38%

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 Bellville: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Bellville

$362 31.4% 4.9% $19

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Bellville

$228 19.7% 10.7% $27

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Bellville

$168 14.6% 17.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Bellville

$188 16.3% 37.4% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Bellville

$142 12.3% 27.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Bellville

$51 4.4% 24.4% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bellville

$14 * 1.2% 72.3% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $393 in Bellville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $24 in Bellville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $228 per month, with Bellville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Bellville

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

18:08 6:08 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

112,507

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bellville 12,680 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bellville

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 Bellville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bellville wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bellville the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,729 in Bellville 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $393 in Bellville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,153 in Bellville – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bellville is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.