Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Big Bend

For one person, living is cheaper in Big Bend: $707 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Big Bend
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Big Bend Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Big Bend

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Big Bend

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $707 in Big Bend, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Big Bend $707

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,392 in Big Bend, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Big Bend $1,392

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,076 in Big Bend, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Big Bend $2,076

Playa del Carmen costs about 70% more than Big Bend, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Big Bend are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Big Bend 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.95 SZL 65.8

170.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$26.97 SZL 449

62.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$4.93 SZL 82.1

139.15%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.47 SZL 24.54

157.82%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.70 SZL 11.64

85.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.44 SZL 7.29

88.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.48 SZL 24.69

112.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.54 SZL 25.68

220.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.22 SZL 20.24

15.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.86 SZL 14.33

155.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.58 SZL 26.30

-6.96%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$4.62 SZL 76.9

-45.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$18.22 SZL 303

-59.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$12.19 SZL 203

-34.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$4.74 SZL 79.0

171.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$4.22 SZL 70.3

-31.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$0.57 SZL 9.54

142.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.82 SZL 30.23

36.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.17 SZL 19.50

73.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$2.45 SZL 40.71

-17.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.14 SZL 35.66

-11.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.92 SZL 15.25

23.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.89 SZL 14.74

39.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$5.71 SZL 95.1

-25.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$3.63 SZL 60.5

170.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$0.59 SZL 9.80

169.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$0.93 SZL 15.41

195.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.22 SZL 20.40

-58.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$23.66 SZL 394

15.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$1.82 SZL 30.29

161.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.47 SZL 24.40

121.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$3.51 SZL 58.4

53.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.11 SZL 18.40

37.84%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$12.0K SZL 200.3K

76.36%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$18.2K SZL 303.5K

27.62%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$127 SZL 2,122

-34.50%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$24.33 SZL 405

-4.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$23.83 SZL 397

15.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$17.76 SZL 296

217.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$2.38 SZL 39.55

1084.45%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$2.99 SZL 49.86

67.22%

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

$207 MX$3,854

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$35.69 SZL 594

21.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$23.82 SZL 397

78.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$35.60 SZL 593

104.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$54.8 SZL 912

61.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$109 SZL 1,817

811.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$72.5 SZL 1,208

427.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$1,068 SZL 17.8K

56.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$708 SZL 11.8K

52.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$198 SZL 3,302

1870.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$143 SZL 2,388

4179.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$798 SZL 13.3K

4.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

27.22%

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 Big Bend: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Big Bend

$73 10.3% 81% $310

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Big Bend

$251 35.5% 2.5% $6.4

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Big Bend

$79 11.2% 60.5% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Big Bend

$176 24.8% 30.8% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Big Bend

$67 9.5% 39.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Big Bend

$24 3.4% 64.3% $43

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Big Bend

$38 5.3% 25.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $109 in Big Bend. 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 4% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $27 in Big Bend. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $251 – making Big Bend the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇿 Big Bend

🕒 Local time

17:03 5:03 PM

00:03 12:03 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

6,433

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 SZL = 6.01 USD

100 SZL = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SZL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.65 SZL (100 SZL = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.62 SZL (100 SZL = 5.37 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Big Bend 13,830 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Big Bend

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 Big Bend: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $707 in Big Bend – Big Bend comes out roughly 41% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,061 in Big Bend. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Big Bend, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $109 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $27 in Big Bend. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $707 in Big Bend. That makes Big Bend about 41% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Big Bend, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Big Bend 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 $707 in Big Bend to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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