Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bethlehem

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,593 in Bethlehem, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Bethlehem
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Bethlehem Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Bethlehem

🇵🇸 Palestine

$1,593

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,593 in Bethlehem, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Bethlehem $1,593

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,473 in Bethlehem, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bethlehem $2,473

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,353 in Bethlehem, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Bethlehem $3,353

Playa del Carmen is about 24% cheaper than Bethlehem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Bethlehem is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$11.16 ₪34.99

-2.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$49.06 ₪154

-11.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$13.91 ₪43.63

-15.31%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$4.48 ₪14.05

-14.96%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.32 ₪4.13

-3.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.01 ₪3.17

-22.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$6.14 ₪19.27

-48.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$8.19 ₪25.68

-39.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.99 ₪6.25

-29.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.92 ₪2.88

141.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$2.23 ₪6.98

-36.32%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.62 ₪8.22

-3.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$10.69 ₪33.53

-32.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$9.80 ₪30.72

-21.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$20.40 ₪64.0

-37.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.67 ₪11.51

-24.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$2.05 ₪6.42

-33.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.59 ₪4.98

60.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$2.36 ₪7.40

-10.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.50 ₪4.70

29.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.59 ₪4.98

18.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.64 ₪5.14

-29.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.00 ₪3.13

18.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$10.02 ₪31.41

-57.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$14.48 ₪45.40

-31.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$2.22 ₪6.97

-28.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.22 ₪6.96

20.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$2.44 ₪7.66

-77.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$144 ₪450

-81.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$3.18 ₪9.98

56.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$3.33 ₪10.44

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$3.20 ₪10.04

67.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.37 ₪7.42

-39.24%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$40.9K ₪128.3K

-49.49%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$48.3K ₪151.4K

-51.39%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$195 ₪613

-56.61%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$39.21 ₪123

-40.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$32.23 ₪101

-11.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$65.7 ₪206

-13.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$32.15 ₪101

-10.08%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$8.32 ₪26.07

-38.22%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$98.8 ₪310

109.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$9,843 ₪30.9K

-60.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$49.10 ₪154

-11.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$97.0 ₪304

-57.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$112 ₪351

-33.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$164 ₪514

-45.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$481 ₪1,507

103.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$329 ₪1,031

15.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$895 ₪2,806

90.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$639 ₪2,005

68.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,618 ₪5,074

143.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,125 ₪3,529

447.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,304 ₪4,090

-43.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

14.50%

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 Bethlehem: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Bethlehem

$329 20.7% 13.6% $52

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Bethlehem

$310 19.5% 21.8% $55

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Bethlehem

$241 15.1% 19.2% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Bethlehem

$267 16.8% 95% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Bethlehem

$190 11.9% 70.1% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Bethlehem

$82 5.2% 22.4% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bethlehem

$173 10.9% 243% $123

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $481 in Bethlehem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 78% higher in Bethlehem. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $49 in Bethlehem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $310 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇸 Bethlehem

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

11:03 11:03 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

29,019

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 ILS = 0.319 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, 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).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.14 ILS (1 ILS = 0.319 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bethlehem 11,550 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bethlehem

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 Bethlehem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bethlehem is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,389 in Bethlehem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bethlehem, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,593 in Bethlehem. That makes Playa del Carmen about 24% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 81% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Bethlehem at $1,593. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bethlehem 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,593 in Bethlehem. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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