Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Boracay Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Boracay

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 68.3% more expensive than Boracay without rent, and 60.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 62.7% more expensive than Boracay without rent, and 49% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$3.05 ₱179
288.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$21.16 ₱1,238
99.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$4.92 ₱288
118.50%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$2.45 ₱144
41.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$1.27 ₱74.5
14.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.28 ₱16.41
221.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$1.31 ₱76.4
132.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$2.17 ₱127
103.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$1.82 ₱106
-24.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.22 ₱71.3
53.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$0.86 ₱50.4
79.07%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$2.73 ₱160
-8.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$8.18 ₱478
5.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$4.21 ₱246
104.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$7.62 ₱446
44.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$2.89 ₱169
-4.84%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$1.47 ₱86.2
-2.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$2.67 ₱156
-29.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$1.44 ₱84.2
50.69%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$1.73 ₱101
8.67%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$2.62 ₱153
-14.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$1.10 ₱64.4
-2.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$0.72 ₱42.12
48.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$3.93 ₱230
5.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$7.83 ₱458
32.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.21 ₱70.9
38.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$1.95 ₱114
27.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.36 ₱21.21
52.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$0.82 ₱48.16
292.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$0.24 ₱14.11
933.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$2.10 ₱123
48.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$1.21 ₱71.1
4.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$27.0K ₱1.6M
13.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$20.7K ₱1.2M
16.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$116 ₱6,798
-29.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$8.61 ₱504
158.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$38.58 ₱2,257
-22.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$53.1 ₱3,108
-3.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$4.31 ₱252
324.36%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$4.22 ₱247
18.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$151 ₱8,846
32.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$4,057 ₱237.3K
30.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$46.23 ₱2,705
-22.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$27.03 ₱1,581
46.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$75.5 ₱4,417
6.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$53.4 ₱3,126
65.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$266 ₱15.5K
264.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$176 ₱10.3K
174.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$587 ₱34.4K
171.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$767 ₱44.9K
54.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$2,430 ₱142.2K
66.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$736 ₱43.1K
785.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$251 ₱14.7K
201.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.67
71.21%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Boracay: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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