Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bogo City

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogo City: $728 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.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Bogo City, Philippines
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Bogo City
🇵🇭 Philippines
$728
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Bogo 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 Bogo City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $728 in Bogo City.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Bogo City $728

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,120 in Bogo City.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Bogo City $1,120

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,512 in Bogo City.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Bogo City $1,512

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 65% more expensive than in Bogo City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Bogo City 46% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Bogo City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$3.84 ₱244
177.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$23.41 ₱1,489
87.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$3.85 ₱245
206.23%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$2.56 ₱163
48.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$0.69 ₱43.81
88.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$0.49 ₱31.34
69.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$1.68 ₱107
87.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$2.23 ₱142
121.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Bogo City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.37 ₱86.9
2.92%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$1.15 ₱72.9
91.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$0.92 ₱58.6
59.78%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.47
$1.99 ₱126
25.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$4.77 ₱303
52.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$3.06 ₱195
159.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$5.26 ₱334
144.49%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$3.17 ₱201
-8.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$1.36 ₱86.2
1.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.36
$2.35 ₱150
5.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.78
$1.51 ₱95.7
34.44%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.69
$2.36 ₱150
-14.41%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$1.88 ₱120
1.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$1.10 ₱70.2
3.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.06
$0.61 ₱38.61
103.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$2.87 ₱182
48.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$6.03 ₱383
62.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$1.27 ₱80.5
25.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$1.64 ₱104
67.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Bogo City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$0.22 ₱13.94
131.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
$12.44 ₱791
120.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$0.76 ₱48.16
526.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$0.22 ₱14.01
1377.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$1.83 ₱116
194.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.30 ₱82.9
17.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$21.2K ₱1.3M
0.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$19.2K ₱1.2M
21.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Bogo City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$117 ₱7,436
-28.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$15.27 ₱971
51.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$27.49 ₱1,748
0.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Bogo City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$31.18 ₱1,983
80.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
$5.33 ₱339
428.89%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$5.48 ₱349
-8.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Bogo City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$131 ₱8,323
58.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.4K
$7,803 ₱496.1K
-32.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Bogo City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$32.32 ₱2,055
34.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$19.26 ₱1,224
120.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$75.2 ₱4,780
-3.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$58.0 ₱3,690
52.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Bogo City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$248 ₱15.8K
300.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$170 ₱10.8K
125.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$487 ₱31.0K
243.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$346 ₱22.0K
212.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$2,666 ₱169.5K
46.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$1,118 ₱71.1K
449.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Bogo City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
7.2
59.03%

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 Bogo City: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Bogo City
$170 55.6% $213
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Bogo City
$167 35% $90
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Bogo City
$91 54.7% $110
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Bogo City
$160 18.9% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Bogo City
$83 25.2% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Bogo City
$42 36.6% $24
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Bogo City
$15 69.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $248 in Bogo City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $23 in Bogo City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $167 per month, with Bogo City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇵🇭 Bogo City
🕒 Local time
17:04 5:04 PM
06:04 6:04 AM
13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
23,562
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Bogo City 15,120 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Bogo 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 Bogo City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bogo City cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Bogo City is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,092 in Bogo City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Playa del Carmen and Bogo City?
Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $248 in Bogo City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Bogo City?
All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $728 in Bogo City – Bogo City is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Bogo City runs roughly 55% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Bogo City?
At $728 in Bogo City versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bogo City but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bogo City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Bogo City?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Bogo City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?