Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Buff Bay Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Buff Bay

🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 1.9% cheaper than Buff Bay without rent, and 43.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 7% more expensive than Buff Bay without rent, and 53.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.85 MX$209

$7.59 JMD 1,188

56.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.16 MX$744

$63.7 JMD 9,966

-33.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 MX$190

$5.13 JMD 802

109.55%

Cappuccino

$3.47 MX$61.3

$4.40 JMD 688

-21.14%

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

$1.45 MX$25.65

$0.72 JMD 112

101.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$15.93

$0.62 JMD 96.5

45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 MX$53.9

$1.91 JMD 298

59.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MX$77.9

$3.11 JMD 486

42.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$24.17

$4.25 JMD 665

-67.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 MX$33.05

$3.66 JMD 573

-48.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$27.25

$1.56 JMD 244

-1.28%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$44.18

$3.56 JMD 556

-29.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 MX$152

$10.89 JMD 1,703

-20.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.63 MX$152

$6.28 JMD 982

37.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 MX$195

$7.42 JMD 1,161

48.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 MX$48.53

$5.89 JMD 922

-53.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$25.21

$3.12 JMD 488

-54.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$33.05

$4.12 JMD 645

-54.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 MX$38.26

$3.05 JMD 478

-28.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 MX$33.23

$2.12 JMD 331

-11.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 MX$39.65

$1.96 JMD 306

14.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.85

$3.12 JMD 488

-65.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$18.95

$1.50 JMD 235

-28.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$73.3

$8.84 JMD 1,383

-53.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 MX$182

$11.41 JMD 1,786

-9.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 MX$29.64

$2.79 JMD 436

-39.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 MX$43.84

$3.16 JMD 494

-21.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$9.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.53 MX$468

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 MX$56.8

$1.13 JMD 176

184.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 MX$43.80

$3.11 JMD 487

-20.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 MX$54.9

$6.31 JMD 987

-50.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$22.16

$1.22 JMD 191

3.28%

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

$30.7K MX$541.1K

$43.6K JMD 6.8M

-29.68%

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

$24.0K MX$424.3K

$33.5K JMD 5.2M

-28.28%

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

$82.5 MX$1,456

$164 JMD 25.6K

-49.67%

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

$22.29 MX$393

$21.75 JMD 3,402

2.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.02 MX$530

$50.7 JMD 7,935

-40.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 MX$908

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 MX$323

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 MX$88.0

$13.35 JMD 2,087

-62.70%

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

$200 MX$3,530

$226 JMD 35.3K

-11.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,304 MX$93.6K

$2,449 JMD 383.1K

116.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.71 MX$630

$25.58 JMD 4,001

39.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 MX$698

$25.60 JMD 4,005

54.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 MX$1,422

$70.6 JMD 11.0K

14.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 MX$1,559

$77.0 JMD 12.0K

14.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 MX$17.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,511

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 MX$28.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 MX$20.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$71.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,522 MX$115.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MX$13.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

9.15

24.81%

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 Buff Bay: March 3, 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

Similar cities

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Kuta, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

Izmir

🇹🇷 Turkey

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova