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 25% more expensive than Buff Bay without rent, and 47.5% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 25.8% cheaper than Buff Bay without rent, and 57.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 MX$210

$7.55 JMD 1,190

57.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.90 MX$740

$62.5 JMD 9,844

-32.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 MX$186

$5.05 JMD 795

108.91%

Cappuccino

$3.60 MX$63.5

$4.37 JMD 688

-17.62%

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

$1.50 MX$26.45

$0.78 JMD 122

92.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$16.09

$0.64 JMD 101

42.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$54.4

$1.84 JMD 290

67.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MX$78.8

$3.20 JMD 503

39.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$24.54

$4.43 JMD 699

-68.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 MX$33.47

$3.51 JMD 552

-45.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MX$28.27

$1.60 JMD 253

Eggs

$2.60 MX$45.97

$3.61 JMD 569

-27.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 MX$148

$11.22 JMD 1,769

-25.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.64 MX$152

$6.38 JMD 1,006

35.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 MX$192

$7.56 JMD 1,191

44.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$45.98

$6.05 JMD 954

-56.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$25.46

$3.11 JMD 490

-53.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 MX$34.55

$4.10 JMD 645

-52.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$37.34

$2.93 JMD 462

-27.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$32.87

$2.08 JMD 328

-10.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 MX$39.20

$2.03 JMD 319

9.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$17.99

$2.97 JMD 468

-65.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.36

$1.44 JMD 227

-27.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 MX$71.5

$8.86 JMD 1,397

-54.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 MX$180

$11.35 JMD 1,789

-10.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MX$29.79

$2.75 JMD 434

-38.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MX$46.25

$3.10 JMD 489

-15.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.52 MX$468

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$55.7

$1.08 JMD 171

191.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 MX$43.49

$3.12 JMD 492

-21.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 MX$57.5

$6.37 JMD 1,003

-48.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 MX$23.36

$1.24 JMD 196

6.45%

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

$30.1K MX$531.0K

$43.1K JMD 6.8M

-30.20%

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

$23.8K MX$419.3K

$33.8K JMD 5.3M

-29.76%

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

$83.5 MX$1,474

$165 JMD 25.9K

-49.25%

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

$22.86 MX$404

$21.81 JMD 3,436

4.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.04 MX$530

$51.8 JMD 8,161

-42.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$916

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 MX$323

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 MX$90.4

$12.95 JMD 2,040

-60.46%

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

$201 MX$3,541

$224 JMD 35.3K

-10.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,318 MX$93.9K

$2,523 JMD 397.5K

110.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.73 MX$631

$26.51 JMD 4,177

34.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 MX$711

$26.00 JMD 4,097

54.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 MX$1,398

$70.8 JMD 11.2K

11.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,576

$75.6 JMD 11.9K

18.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 MX$16.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MX$8,525

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 MX$28.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 MX$21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,996 MX$70.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,402 MX$113.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$730 MX$12.9K

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: January 13, 2026

Last update for Buff Bay: January 12, 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

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