Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Belmopan

For one person, living is cheaper in Belmopan: $1,089 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Belmopan

🇧🇿 Belize

$1,089

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,089 in Belmopan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Belmopan $1,089

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,567 in Belmopan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Belmopan $1,567

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,046 in Belmopan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Belmopan $2,046

Playa del Carmen costs about 12% more than Belmopan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Belmopan are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Belmopan 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$200

$7.38 BZD 14.77

48.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$816

$17.41 BZD 34.82

157.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$217

$7.67 BZD 15.34

55.41%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.2

$5.37 BZD 10.75

-29.24%

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

$1.31 MX$23.86

$0.59 BZD 1.18

122.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.58

$0.49 BZD 0.97

75.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$58.4

$1.50 BZD 3.01

114.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$91.2

$2.18 BZD 4.36

129.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.53

$2.44 BZD 4.88

-40.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.33

$1.69 BZD 3.38

37.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.24

$1.65 BZD 3.30

-12.73%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$44.78

$1.99 BZD 3.98

23.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$140

$8.57 BZD 17.13

-10.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$144

$6.74 BZD 13.48

17.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$233

$11.98 BZD 23.96

6.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.1

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$25.87

$1.08 BZD 2.16

31.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$46.66

$2.22 BZD 4.44

15.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$38.88

$5.48 BZD 10.95

-60.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.42

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.22

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$20.94

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.21

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$79.6

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$179

$17.22 BZD 34.44

-42.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$27.97

$2.32 BZD 4.64

-33.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.40

$2.20 BZD 4.41

23.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.55

$4.05 BZD 8.11

-87.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$89.4

$3.25 BZD 6.51

51.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.1

$4.02 BZD 8.05

-12.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$103

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.01

$1.85 BZD 3.69

-16.76%

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

$21.2K MX$386.3K

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

$24.5K MX$445.4K

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

$83.6 MX$1,521

$148 BZD 297

-43.61%

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

$24.03 MX$437

$49.03 BZD 98.1

-50.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$534

$38.57 BZD 77.2

-23.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,180

$44.24 BZD 88.5

46.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$536

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$92.5

$9.06 BZD 18.13

-43.82%

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

$208 MX$3,778

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$73.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$810

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$765

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,374

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,662

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$17.9K

$450 BZD 900

119.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,007

$328 BZD 657

17.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.2K

$550 BZD 1,099

101.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$113.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Belmopan: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Belmopan

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Belmopan

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Belmopan

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Belmopan

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Belmopan

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Belmopan

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Belmopan

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $450 in Belmopan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $17.00 in Belmopan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $244 – making Belmopan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇿 Belmopan

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

04:29 4:29 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

14,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Belize Dollar BZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.91 EUR

1 BZD = 0.5 USD

1 BZD = 0.446 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BZD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.38 MXN (100 MXN = 4.91 EUR).

Belize Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BZD (1 BZD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.24 BZD (1 BZD = 0.446 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Belmopan 420 km

From you

Playa del Carmen
Belmopan

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 Belmopan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, $1,089 in Belmopan – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,634 in Belmopan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Belmopan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen and $17.00 in Belmopan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $1,089 in Belmopan. That's a gap of about 12%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Belmopan, where all-in costs run around $1,089, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,215. In Belmopan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,089 in Belmopan to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Belmopan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.