Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Benguela

For one person, living is cheaper in Benguela: $59.1 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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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

$1,204

/mo nomad

Benguela

🇦🇴 Angola

$59.1

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $59 in Benguela.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Benguela $59

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $85 in Benguela.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Benguela $85

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $111 in Benguela.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Benguela $111

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 1937% more expensive than in Benguela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Benguela 96% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.80 AOA 2,560

290.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$11.10 AOA 10.1K

6.13%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.85 AOA 774

50.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

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

$23.41 MX$440

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$3,735 AOA 3.4M

-80.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-54.20%

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 Benguela: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Benguela

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Benguela

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Benguela

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Benguela

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Benguela

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Benguela

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Benguela

–

Cost Breakdown

Benguela pays about 5.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇴 Benguela

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

10:06 10:06 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

513,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Angolan Kwanza AOA Kz

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 AOA = 10.96 USD

10,000 AOA = 9.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AOA, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Angolan Kwanza exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 913 AOA (1,000 AOA = 1.1 USD). 1 EUR = 1,019 AOA (10,000 AOA = 9.82 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Benguela 11,570 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Benguela

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 Benguela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Benguela wins on cost – living expenses run 95% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Benguela the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 80% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

At $59 in Benguela versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Benguela but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Benguela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.