Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Buea

For one person, living is cheaper in Buea: $739 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Buea
Learn more

Buea Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Buea

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $739 in Buea.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Buea $739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,340 in Buea.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Buea $1,340

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,941 in Buea.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Buea $1,941

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 63% more expensive than in Buea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Buea 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$1.69 FCFA 986

546.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$117 FCFA 68.5K

-62.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.06 FCFA 3,545

94.39%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$2.04 FCFA 1,194

86.76%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.25 FCFA 732

2.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.46 FCFA 269

69.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$0.99 FCFA 579

220.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$1.50 FCFA 875

228.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$2.78 FCFA 1,628

-49.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$0.40 FCFA 232

455.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.53 FCFA 897

-7.19%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$1.87 FCFA 1,093

34.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$21.74 FCFA 12.7K

-66.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$7.58 FCFA 4,431

1.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$4.36 FCFA 2,550

191.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$3.43 FCFA 2,006

-18.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.38 FCFA 804

-0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$0.88 FCFA 514

189.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$1.31 FCFA 769

61.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$1.72 FCFA 1,008

12.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$1.39 FCFA 812

35.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$0.73 FCFA 425

57.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.61 FCFA 359

93.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$2.64 FCFA 1,542

62.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$8.70 FCFA 5,086

14.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.16 FCFA 676

36.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.73 FCFA 1,013

54.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$0.27 FCFA 158

1740.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$0.53 FCFA 308

528.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$4.99 FCFA 2,919

7.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.20 FCFA 699

20.00%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$18.7K FCFA 10.9M

10.56%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$15.6K FCFA 9.1M

50.80%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$59.1 FCFA 34.6K

43.42%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$16.88 FCFA 9,875

38.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$167 FCFA 97.8K

-82.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$25.69 FCFA 15.0K

122.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

$4.25 FCFA 2,484

580.24%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$8.54 FCFA 4,993

-39.81%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$506 FCFA 296.0K

-59.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$3,349 FCFA 2.0M

17.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$34.09 FCFA 19.9K

27.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$65.7 FCFA 38.4K

-36.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$137 FCFA 80.0K

-45.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$67.9 FCFA 39.7K

31.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$130 FCFA 76.2K

463.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

19.04

-39.86%

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 Buea: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Buea

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Buea

$242 32.8% 5% $13

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Buea

$71 9.6% 64.9% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Buea

$243 32.9% 77.7% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Buea

$137 18.5% 22.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Buea

$43 5.8% 36.5% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Buea

$2.9 * 0.4% 94.2% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

Playa del Carmen pays about 5.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $117 in Buea. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $242, with Buea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇲 Buea

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

18:33 6:33 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,325,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 653 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Buea 10,500 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Buea

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 Buea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $739 in Buea, so Buea is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 5.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $506 in Buea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $117 in Buea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $739 in Buea versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Buea but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Buea 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.

It comes down to priorities – Buea wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.