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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 41.2% more expensive than Boracay without rent, and 59.8% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 23.8% more expensive than Boracay without rent, and 51.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$201
$3.17 โ‚ฑ190
266.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$739
$21.11 โ‚ฑ1,266
102.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$4.96 โ‚ฑ297
113.71%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$2.39 โ‚ฑ143
50.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.10
$1.21 โ‚ฑ72.8
19.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.52
$0.26 โ‚ฑ15.44
246.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$1.35 โ‚ฑ80.7
124.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$2.08 โ‚ฑ124
119.23%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.10
$1.74 โ‚ฑ105
-16.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.59
$1.27 โ‚ฑ76.0
44.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.80
$0.91 โ‚ฑ54.6
76.92%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.87
$2.71 โ‚ฑ162
-6.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$8.13 โ‚ฑ487
5.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$4.34 โ‚ฑ260
95.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$7.50 โ‚ฑ450
44.80%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.18
$2.84 โ‚ฑ170
-3.87%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.80
$1.49 โ‚ฑ89.5
-
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.59
$2.68 โ‚ฑ161
-27.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.42
$1.41 โ‚ฑ84.5
53.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.92
$1.79 โ‚ฑ108
3.35%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.84
$2.50 โ‚ฑ150
-12.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.54
$1.08 โ‚ฑ64.5
-0.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.73
$0.73 โ‚ฑ43.67
47.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.2
$3.99 โ‚ฑ239
1.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$8.41 โ‚ฑ504
24.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.59
$1.16 โ‚ฑ69.6
42.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.06
$1.97 โ‚ฑ118
29.44%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.61
$0.36 โ‚ฑ21.79
55.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.3
$0.83 โ‚ฑ49.68
278.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$41.00
$0.22 โ‚ฑ13.10
977.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$2.11 โ‚ฑ126
53.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.72
$1.22 โ‚ฑ73.0
7.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$528.0K
$26.4K โ‚ฑ1.6M
15.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.9K
$20.7K โ‚ฑ1.2M
15.22%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,438
$117 โ‚ฑ6,989
-28.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$8.95 โ‚ฑ537
147.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$508
$38.60 โ‚ฑ2,314
-23.91%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$885
$53.2 โ‚ฑ3,187
-3.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$4.32 โ‚ฑ259
332.64%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.5
$4.22 โ‚ฑ253
15.88%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,435
$154 โ‚ฑ9,209
29.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$90.0K
$3,983 โ‚ฑ238.8K
30.75%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$46.56 โ‚ฑ2,791
-22.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$681
$26.29 โ‚ฑ1,576
49.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,388
$75.4 โ‚ฑ4,523
6.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,514
$52.7 โ‚ฑ3,156
66.31%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.7K
$263 โ‚ฑ15.7K
266.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,336
$176 โ‚ฑ10.6K
173.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$588 โ‚ฑ35.2K
179.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$757 โ‚ฑ45.4K
57.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.4K
$2,406 โ‚ฑ144.2K
64.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.6K
$1,189 โ‚ฑ71.3K
447.64%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Boracay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.6K
$242 โ‚ฑ14.5K
199.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.67
71.21%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Last update for Boracay: April 13, 2026

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

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