Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Boracay

For one person, living is cheaper in Boracay: $915 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Boracay
Learn more

Boracay Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Boracay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $915 in Boracay.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Boracay $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,349 in Boracay.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Boracay $1,349

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,783 in Boracay.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Boracay $1,783

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 32% more expensive than in Boracay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Boracay 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$5.31 ₱340

105.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$810

$18.68 ₱1,195

132.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$5.97 ₱382

97.32%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.2

$2.32 ₱148

64.22%

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

$1.28 MX$23.96

$0.69 ₱44.18

85.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.63

$0.22 ₱14.03

254.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.2

$1.19 ₱76.2

166.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.2

$2.01 ₱129

145.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.28

$2.93 ₱187

-51.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.43

$1.27 ₱81.5

74.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.48

$0.90 ₱57.5

57.78%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.14

$1.89 ₱121

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$5.04 ₱322

44.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.89 ₱249

97.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$6.49 ₱415

95.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$2.29 ₱147

21.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.56

$1.50 ₱96.1

-8.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.66

$2.03 ₱130

25.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.67

$1.29 ₱82.3

64.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.22

$2.19 ₱140

-11.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.24

$2.14 ₱137

-11.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

$0.92 ₱58.7

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.03

$0.59 ₱37.48

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.3

$2.29 ₱147

87.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$7.61 ₱487

30.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.59

$0.90 ₱57.3

75.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.91

$1.97 ₱126

35.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

$0.22 ₱14.06

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

$10.67 ₱683

149.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.9

$0.66 ₱42.45

653.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.2

$0.24 ₱15.24

1287.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$1.76 ₱113

204.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.98

$1.10 ₱70.4

30.91%

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

$20.7K MX$386.2K

$22.9K ₱1.5M

-9.74%

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

$23.5K MX$438.5K

$20.3K ₱1.3M

15.70%

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

$84.8 MX$1,584

$109 ₱6,945

-21.87%

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

$23.41 MX$437

$15.54 ₱994

50.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$535

$33.36 ₱2,135

-14.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

$33.49 ₱2,143

70.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

$4.90 ₱314

490.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.0

$5.21 ₱334

-1.34%

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

$207 MX$3,860

$141 ₱8,997

46.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.4K

$7,871 ₱503.6K

-50.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$810

$27.63 ₱1,768

56.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$774

$18.45 ₱1,181

124.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,386

$67.3 ₱4,304

10.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,668

$51.7 ₱3,309

72.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$248 ₱15.9K

295.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

$337 ₱21.6K

12.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

$489 ₱31.3K

249.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$589 ₱37.7K

82.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

$2,586 ₱165.4K

52.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

$1,129 ₱72.2K

445.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$230 ₱14.7K

219.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.92

65.46%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Boracay: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Boracay

$337 36.8% 11.5% $44

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Boracay

$187 20.5% 26.5% $67

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Boracay

$102 11.1% 49.7% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Boracay

$157 17.2% 15% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Boracay

$74 8.1% 33.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Boracay

$44 4.8% 34.8% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Boracay

$13 1.5% 73.4% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $248 in Boracay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $19 in Boracay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $187 per month, with Boracay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Boracay

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

00:06 12:06 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

12,296

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.22 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Boracay 15,200 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Boracay

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 Boracay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Boracay differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $915 including rent). Boracay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 3.2 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $248 in Boracay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Boracay – a meal for two runs $19 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $915 in Boracay versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Boracay but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Boracay 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 Boracay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.