Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Binangonan

For one person, living is cheaper in Binangonan: $717 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Binangonan
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Binangonan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Binangonan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $717 in Binangonan.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Binangonan $717

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,079 in Binangonan.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Binangonan $1,079

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,441 in Binangonan.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Binangonan $1,441

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 68% more expensive than in Binangonan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Binangonan 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.93 ₱250

171.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$16.13 ₱1,026

171.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$2.69 ₱171

338.29%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.73 ₱110

119.08%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.56 ₱35.49

132.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.28 ₱17.81

196.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.27 ₱80.9

148.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.58 ₱101

212.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.65 ₱105

-14.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.15 ₱72.9

91.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.86 ₱54.5

70.93%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$1.74 ₱111

43.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$4.86 ₱309

50.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.27 ₱208

143.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.56 ₱481

70.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.28 ₱145

27.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.42 ₱90.3

-2.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$2.35 ₱149

5.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$1.00 ₱63.7

103.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$1.64 ₱104

23.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.74 ₱111

9.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.95 ₱60.2

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.48 ₱30.25

158.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.92 ₱186

46.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$7.40 ₱471

32.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$0.91 ₱57.6

74.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.78 ₱113

54.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.22 ₱13.96

131.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$12.43 ₱790

120.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.74 ₱47.19

543.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.20 ₱12.69

1525.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$1.91 ₱122

182.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.16 ₱73.6

31.90%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

0.41%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$18.7K ₱1.2M

24.32%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$135 ₱8,600

-38.27%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$14.51 ₱923

59.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$23.41 ₱1,488

17.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$30.82 ₱1,960

83.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$5.14 ₱327

448.44%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$5.03 ₱320

-0.60%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$72.7 ₱4,625

184.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$2,443 ₱155.4K

114.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$27.98 ₱1,779

55.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$19.42 ₱1,234

119.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$70.6 ₱4,486

3.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$55.3 ₱3,518

59.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$245 ₱15.6K

305.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$170 ₱10.8K

125.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$485 ₱30.8K

245.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$344 ₱21.9K

213.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,595 ₱165.0K

50.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,124 ₱71.4K

446.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$411 ₱26.1K

102.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

63.57%

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 Binangonan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Binangonan

$170 23.7% 55.6% $213

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Binangonan

$167 23.3% 35.1% $90

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Binangonan

$73 10.2% 63.5% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Binangonan

$173 24.2% 29% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Binangonan

$78 10.9% 29.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Binangonan

$41 5.7% 38.5% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Binangonan

$15 2.1% 70.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $245 in Binangonan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $16 in Binangonan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $167 per month, with Binangonan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Binangonan

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

07:42 7:42 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

313,631

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Binangonan 15,040 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Binangonan

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 Binangonan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Binangonan is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $245 in Binangonan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $73 in Binangonan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $717 in Binangonan versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Binangonan but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Binangonan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Binangonan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.