Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bhisho

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhisho: $1,142 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $720 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Bhisho
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Bhisho Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Bhisho

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,142 in Bhisho.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Bhisho $1,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,802 in Bhisho.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bhisho $1,802

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,462 in Bhisho.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Bhisho $2,462

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 5% more expensive than in Bhisho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Bhisho 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$10.99 R 183

-2.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$42.60 R 710

2.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$5.88 R 98.1

100.51%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.06 R 34.28

83.98%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.02 R 16.98

27.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.73 R 12.21

13.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.66 R 44.24

18.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.18 R 53.0

55.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.13 R 18.87

24.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.04 R 17.37

111.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.51 R 25.09

-2.65%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.71 R 45.09

-7.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.81 R 147

-17.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$5.20 R 86.7

52.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$8.53 R 142

50.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.18 R 36.32

33.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.53 R 25.49

-9.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.68 R 27.92

48.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.73 R 28.86

17.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.67 R 27.81

20.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.42 R 23.70

33.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.25 R 20.78

-8.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.98 R 16.38

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$3.30 R 55.0

29.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$4.70 R 78.4

108.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.22 R 20.25

30.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.76 R 29.36

56.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.78 R 29.64

-71.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$23.99 R 400

14.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.83 R 13.75

473.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.50 R 8.33

550.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$8.31 R 139

-35.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.47 R 24.53

4.08%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$34.4K R 573.1K

-38.32%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$35.4K R 589.9K

-34.29%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$124 R 2,073

-32.89%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$34.58 R 576

-32.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$45.53 R 759

-39.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$32.31 R 538

74.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$11.98 R 200

135.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$10.38 R 173

-51.83%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$177 R 2,955

16.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$6,036 R 100.6K

-13.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$70.7 R 1,178

-38.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$38.97 R 649

9.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$110 R 1,834

-33.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$97.3 R 1,621

-9.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$398 R 6,625

150.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$355 R 5,908

7.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$717 R 12.0K

133.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$724 R 12.1K

49.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$771 R 12.8K

407.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$671 R 11.2K

814.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$3,243 R 54.0K

-74.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.94

-4.10%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bhisho: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Bhisho

$355 31.1% 7.3% $28

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Bhisho

$196 17.1% 24% $62

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Bhisho

$157 13.7% 21.7% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Bhisho

$205 17.9% 52.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Bhisho

$143 12.5% 28.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Bhisho

$53 4.7% 20.1% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bhisho

$34 3% 31.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $398 in Bhisho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bhisho pays about 3.9 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $43 in Bhisho for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $196 per month, with Bhisho cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Bhisho

🕒 Local time

19:29 7:29 PM

02:29 2:29 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

137,287

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bhisho 13,470 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bhisho

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 Bhisho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bhisho wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bhisho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 74% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $398 in Bhisho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,142 in Bhisho – Bhisho is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bhisho 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.