Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bhisho Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bhisho

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,266 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,192 in Bhisho.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,279 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,868 in Bhisho.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,292 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,544 in Bhisho.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 6% more expensive than in Bhisho, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 7% lower, Bhisho 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.60 MX$199

$11.32 R 184

2.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.11 MX$809

$43.45 R 706

8.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.88 MX$204

$6.15 R 100

93.17%

Cappuccino

$3.98 MX$68.2

$2.24 R 36.35

77.68%

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

$1.43 MX$24.49

$1.09 R 17.68

31.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$14.16

$0.80 R 13.03

2.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$54.7

$2.78 R 45.17

14.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 MX$117

$3.35 R 54.4

102.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MX$28.76

$1.17 R 19.03

43.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$37.71

$1.08 R 17.53

103.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$29.32

$1.50 R 24.36

14.00%

Eggs

$2.74 MX$47.05

$2.91 R 47.25

-5.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 MX$164

$8.99 R 146

6.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.01 MX$155

$5.42 R 88.2

66.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 MX$220

$8.62 R 140

48.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 MX$49.58

$2.20 R 35.71

31.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$25.70

$1.58 R 25.71

-5.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 MX$36.87

$1.73 R 28.15

24.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$38.79

$1.85 R 30.03

22.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 MX$34.00

$1.80 R 29.19

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.15

$1.43 R 23.18

39.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 MX$21.18

$1.27 R 20.68

-3.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$20.54

$1.02 R 16.63

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.55 MX$78.1

$3.36 R 54.6

35.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 MX$178

$4.92 R 80.0

110.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 MX$27.79

$1.32 R 21.45

22.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$49.44

$1.85 R 30.09

55.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 MX$10.30

$1.52 R 24.68

-60.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.80 MX$494

$25.05 R 407

14.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$92.5

$0.65 R 10.53

729.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.73 MX$64.0

$0.52 R 8.45

617.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 MX$99.0

$8.70 R 141

-33.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$26.37

$1.48 R 24.10

4.05%

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

$22.5K MX$387.0K

$36.5K R 592.6K

-38.15%

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

$26.1K MX$447.3K

$34.8K R 565.5K

-25.09%

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

$91.4 MX$1,569

$126 R 2,055

-27.72%

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

$25.20 MX$433

$36.02 R 586

-30.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.24 MX$536

$46.52 R 756

-32.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 MX$1,154

$33.77 R 549

98.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.11 MX$500

$12.62 R 205

130.67%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 MX$83.5

$10.83 R 176

-55.12%

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

$224 MX$3,839

$187 R 3,043

19.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,229 MX$72.6K

$6,217 R 101.1K

-31.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.10 MX$808

$73.6 R 1,196

-35.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.29 MX$760

$38.70 R 629

14.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 MX$1,375

$117 R 1,907

-31.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 MX$1,591

$100 R 1,629

-7.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 MX$18.2K

$425 R 6,917

149.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 MX$6,698

$373 R 6,065

4.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,149 MX$36.9K

$787 R 12.8K

173.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 MX$21.8K

$777 R 12.6K

63.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,001 MX$68.7K

$878 R 14.3K

355.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,502 MX$111.6K

$694 R 11.3K

836.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.0K

$3,383 R 55.0K

-77.59%

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: September 12, 2026

Last update for Bhisho: September 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,063 in Playa del Carmen and $425 in Bhisho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bhisho pays 346% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $43.00 in Bhisho for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $202 per month, with Bhisho cheaper across the board.

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 6% 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 346% lower in Bhisho. 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: $1,063 in Playa del Carmen versus $425 in Bhisho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $224 in Playa del Carmen versus $187 in Bhisho. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,192 in Bhisho versus $1,266 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bhisho but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bhisho the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bhisho delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,192 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bhisho hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Bhisho gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.