Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Boksburg

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Boksburg: $1,210 and $1,222 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Boksburg
Learn more

Boksburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Boksburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,222 in Boksburg.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Boksburg $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,891 in Boksburg.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Boksburg $1,891

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,560 in Boksburg.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Boksburg $2,560

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 1% less than in Boksburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Boksburg 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$12.15 R 200

-11.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$43.01 R 709

0.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$5.40 R 88.9

118.33%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.28 R 37.62

69.74%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.13 R 18.66

21.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.83 R 13.69

1.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.25 R 37.09

37.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.74 R 45.13

85.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.35 R 22.26

6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.18 R 19.48

88.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.77 R 29.15

-16.95%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.73 R 44.99

-7.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$8.89 R 146

-17.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$5.32 R 87.6

47.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$8.86 R 146

44.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$1.82 R 30.01

59.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.62 R 26.74

-11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.86 R 30.72

37.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.79 R 29.43

15.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.68 R 27.66

19.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.81 R 29.80

11.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.23 R 20.33

-3.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.34 R 22.06

-5.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.38 R 55.6

30.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$6.03 R 99.4

59.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.53 R 25.14

3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.89 R 31.20

48.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$0.31 R 5.14

1506.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.78 R 12.77

348.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$14.54 R 240

-62.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.49 R 24.52

-1.34%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$36.3K R 597.3K

-42.11%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$33.7K R 554.6K

-28.98%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$231 R 3,808

-63.57%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$38.32 R 631

-37.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$36.44 R 600

-20.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$28.26 R 466

122.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$7.92 R 131

-37.63%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$243 R 4,006

-16.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$5,427 R 89.4K

-27.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$53.8 R 886

-18.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$46.03 R 758

-6.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$104 R 1,721

-27.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$106 R 1,741

-16.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$321 R 5,287

214.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$352 R 5,793

6.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$674 R 11.1K

153.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$764 R 12.6K

44.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$873 R 14.4K

-13.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.91

4.95%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Boksburg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Boksburg

$352 28.8% 6% $22

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Boksburg

$212 17.3% 18.1% $47

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Boksburg

$165 13.5% 18.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Boksburg

$306 25% 123% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Boksburg

$140 11.4% 23.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Boksburg

$44 3.6% 39.5% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Boksburg

$4.2 * 0.3% 92% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $321 in Boksburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Boksburg pays 16% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $43.00 in Boksburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $212, with Boksburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Boksburg

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

09:23 9:23 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

260,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Boksburg 13,450 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Boksburg

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 Boksburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Boksburg differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,210 vs $1,222 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Boksburg. 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $321 in Boksburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Boksburg pay roughly 22% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,222 in Boksburg – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,222 in Boksburg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Boksburg. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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 Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Boksburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.