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 0.4% more expensive than Buff Bay without rent, and 44.9% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 2.8% cheaper than Buff Bay without rent, and 56.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 MX$212

$7.68 JMD 1,223

50.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42 MX$769

$63.7 JMD 10.1K

-34.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.5 MX$192

$4.96 JMD 790

111.69%

Cappuccino

$3.43 MX$62.8

$4.27 JMD 680

-19.67%

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

$1.49 MX$27.34

$0.76 JMD 121

96.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$17.27

$0.66 JMD 105

42.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$56.3

$1.9 JMD 303

62.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MX$79.9

$3.2 JMD 510

36.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$25.44

$4.29 JMD 683

-67.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 MX$33.81

$3.55 JMD 565

-47.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 MX$28.88

$1.58 JMD 251

Eggs

$2.51 MX$46

$3.58 JMD 570

-29.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 MX$151

$11.27 JMD 1,795

-26.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.7 MX$159

$6.32 JMD 1,007

37.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.73 MX$196

$7.77 JMD 1,237

38.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$47.74

$5.92 JMD 943

-55.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$27.28

$3.05 JMD 486

-51.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.72

$4.27 JMD 679

-54.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$38.26

$3.01 JMD 479

-30.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 MX$33.05

$2.04 JMD 324

-11.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.62

$1.91 JMD 305

13.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 MX$18.85

$2.97 JMD 473

-65.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$19.7

$1.48 JMD 236

-27.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 MX$75.9

$8.81 JMD 1,403

-53.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.88 MX$163

$11.29 JMD 1,799

-21.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 MX$30.64

$2.78 JMD 443

-39.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 MX$46.31

$3.19 JMD 508

-20.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.68 MX$488

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 MX$59.7

$1.08 JMD 172

201.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 MX$45.94

$3.23 JMD 514

-22.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 MX$57.2

$6.43 JMD 1,025

-51.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$23.96

$1.3 JMD 206

0.77%

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

$30.9K MX$565K

$43.6K JMD 6.9M

-29.23%

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

$23.9K MX$436.9K

$33.6K JMD 5.4M

-29.01%

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

$83 MX$1,520

$164 JMD 26.1K

-49.36%

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

$22.59 MX$414

$22.51 JMD 3,585

0.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.51 MX$540

$52 JMD 8,283

-43.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 MX$944

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.42 MX$337

Cinema Ticket

$4.9 MX$89.7

$13.04 JMD 2,077

-62.42%

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

$200 MX$3,668

$224 JMD 35.7K

-10.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,179 MX$94.8K

$2,470 JMD 393.5K

109.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.41 MX$667

$26.34 JMD 4,196

38.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.91 MX$731

$25.85 JMD 4,118

54.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MX$1,462

$70.4 JMD 11.2K

13.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.7 MX$1,605

$75.5 JMD 12K

16.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$983 MX$18K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 MX$8,612

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,610 MX$29.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,189 MX$21.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,839 MX$70.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,205 MX$113.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$724 MX$13.2K

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: November 30, 2025

Last update for Buff Bay: December 1, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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