Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bissau

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $814 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $814 in Bissau.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Bissau $814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,314 in Bissau.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bissau $1,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,813 in Bissau.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Bissau $1,813

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 48% more expensive than in Bissau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Bissau 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$5.01 F CFA 2,923

112.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$813

$25.78 F CFA 15.1K

69.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$9.31 F CFA 5,435

26.64%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.3

$1.71 F CFA 1,001

121.64%

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

$1.30 MX$24.07

$1.05 F CFA 611

23.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.47

$0.87 F CFA 509

-4.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.4

$0.71 F CFA 416

343.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.14

$1.68 F CFA 982

-16.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.75

$0.91 F CFA 533

141.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.33

$2.00 F CFA 1,168

-26.50%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.34

$5.08 F CFA 2,965

-50.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$135

$14.22 F CFA 8,306

-48.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$13.39 F CFA 7,819

-40.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$13.77 F CFA 8,042

-6.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.8

$4.14 F CFA 2,415

-29.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.67

$1.04 F CFA 605

32.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.23

$4.27 F CFA 2,496

-41.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.67

$0.18 F CFA 104

1027.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.58

$1.33 F CFA 777

51.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.32

$1.37 F CFA 800

38.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.24

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.99

$1.26 F CFA 734

-1.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$182

$6.78 F CFA 3,958

44.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.43

$1.31 F CFA 766

21.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.0

$0.86 F CFA 504

219.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

$0.52 F CFA 304

-1.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$508

$25.31 F CFA 14.8K

8.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.36

$1.43 F CFA 833

6.99%

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

$21.2K MX$393.7K

$32.1K F CFA 18.8M

-34.01%

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

$23.3K MX$431.7K

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

-19.58%

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

$83.5 MX$1,549

$103 F CFA 60.3K

-19.10%

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

$23.19 MX$430

$34.08 F CFA 19.9K

-31.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$512

$45.88 F CFA 26.8K

-39.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,047

$42.15 F CFA 24.6K

33.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$523

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.8

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

$207 MX$3,843

$759 F CFA 443.4K

-72.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.1K

$2,301 F CFA 1.3M

127.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$806

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$789

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,350

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,640

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$516 F CFA 301.4K

92.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,097

$168 F CFA 97.9K

128.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

$843 F CFA 492.4K

98.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$431 F CFA 251.8K

150.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$113.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.4K

$1,042 F CFA 608.6K

-20.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Bissau: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Bissau

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Bissau

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Bissau

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Bissau

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Bissau

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Bissau

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bissau

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $516 in Bissau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bissau pays 25% 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 $26 in Bissau. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $294, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇼 Bissau

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

09:49 9:49 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

395,954 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.84 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 584 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bissau 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bissau

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 Bissau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $814 in Bissau, so Bissau is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 20% 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 $516 in Bissau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $759 in Bissau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $814 in Bissau versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau 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.