Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Binan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Binan City: $724 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Binan City
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Binan City Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Binan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Binan City

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $724 in Binan City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Binan City $724

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,095 in Binan City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Binan City $1,095

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,467 in Binan City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Binan City $1,467

Playa del Carmen costs about 66% more than Binan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Binan City are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Binan City 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.95 ₱251

170.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$16.37 ₱1,041

167.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$2.70 ₱172

336.67%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.81 ₱115

109.39%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.59 ₱37.77

120.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.31 ₱19.60

167.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$0.93 ₱59.4

238.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.58 ₱101

212.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.66 ₱106

-15.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.11 ₱70.5

98.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.00 ₱63.9

47.00%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$2.03 ₱129

23.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$4.75 ₱302

53.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.45 ₱219

130.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$6.68 ₱425

92.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.39 ₱152

21.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.53 ₱97.1

-9.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$2.38 ₱151

4.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$1.01 ₱64.3

100.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$1.65 ₱105

22.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.57 ₱99.9

21.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.93 ₱59.3

22.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.53 ₱33.82

133.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.59 ₱165

64.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$7.75 ₱492

26.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$0.89 ₱56.7

78.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.95 ₱124

41.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.24 ₱15.34

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$12.31 ₱783

122.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.66 ₱41.93

621.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.22 ₱13.98

1377.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$1.85 ₱117

191.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.20 ₱76.0

27.50%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

0.71%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

21.92%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$136 ₱8,678

-38.83%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$15.50 ₱985

49.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$31.05 ₱1,974

-11.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$31.82 ₱2,023

77.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$5.11 ₱325

451.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$5.10 ₱324

-1.96%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$129 ₱8,191

60.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$7,277 ₱462.6K

-28.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$27.80 ₱1,767

56.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$19.14 ₱1,217

122.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$70.7 ₱4,498

2.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$54.4 ₱3,457

62.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$254 ₱16.1K

291.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$164 ₱10.5K

132.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$485 ₱30.8K

245.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$354 ₱22.5K

205.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,619 ₱166.5K

49.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,096 ₱69.7K

459.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.75

69.63%

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 Binan City: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Binan City

$164 22.7% 57% $218

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Binan City

$169 23.4% 34.3% $88

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Binan City

$73 10.1% 63.6% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Binan City

$183 25.3% 36.3% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Binan City

$77 10.7% 30.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Binan City

$42 5.8% 36.8% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Binan City

$15 2.1% 70.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $254 in Binan City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $16 in Binan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $169 – making Binan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Binan City

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

07:13 7:13 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

407,037

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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 = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Binan City 15,060 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Binan City

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 Binan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,086 in Binan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Binan City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $129 in Binan City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Binan City, where all-in costs run around $724, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Binan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Binan City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Binan City is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 40% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.