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 2.8% more expensive than Buff Bay without rent, and 43.6% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 20.8% cheaper than Buff Bay without rent, and 58.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.61 MX$200

$7.33 JMD 1,158

58.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$738

$61.8 JMD 9,766

-30.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 MX$183

$4.99 JMD 788

112.42%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$62.0

$4.32 JMD 682

-16.90%

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

$1.45 MX$25.08

$0.77 JMD 122

88.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$15.50

$0.66 JMD 104

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$52.4

$1.92 JMD 303

57.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 MX$78.8

$3.12 JMD 493

46.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$25.07

$4.25 JMD 671

-65.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 MX$31.55

$3.52 JMD 556

-48.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.77

$1.55 JMD 245

3.87%

Eggs

$2.54 MX$43.82

$3.56 JMD 563

-28.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 MX$148

$10.94 JMD 1,728

-21.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.47 MX$146

$6.33 JMD 1,000

33.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 MX$188

$7.79 JMD 1,232

39.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 MX$47.13

$6.00 JMD 947

-54.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.77

$2.98 JMD 471

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$33.55

$4.24 JMD 670

-54.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$37.38

$3.00 JMD 475

-28.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$31.88

$2.02 JMD 319

-8.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 MX$37.80

$2.02 JMD 319

8.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.52

$2.98 JMD 472

-64.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$18.71

$1.49 JMD 236

-27.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 MX$70.1

$8.95 JMD 1,413

-54.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 MX$181

$11.48 JMD 1,814

-8.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 MX$28.56

$2.86 JMD 452

-42.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 MX$44.01

$3.14 JMD 497

-18.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$9.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.20 MX$453

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$54.2

$1.13 JMD 178

177.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 MX$40.96

$3.13 JMD 495

-24.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 MX$56.0

$6.31 JMD 998

-48.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.70

$1.24 JMD 195

5.65%

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

$30.5K MX$527.4K

$43.4K JMD 6.9M

-29.63%

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

$23.8K MX$411.4K

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

-27.58%

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

$83.1 MX$1,436

$165 JMD 26.0K

-49.57%

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

$22.15 MX$383

$22.36 JMD 3,533

-0.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.37 MX$507

$51.5 JMD 8,142

-43.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 MX$884

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.69 MX$323

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 MX$84.4

$13.40 JMD 2,117

-63.51%

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

$199 MX$3,431

$222 JMD 35.1K

-10.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,207 MX$89.9K

$2,475 JMD 391.0K

110.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.93 MX$621

$25.87 JMD 4,087

38.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.39 MX$680

$25.23 JMD 3,986

56.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 MX$1,387

$70.3 JMD 11.1K

14.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 MX$1,512

$75.2 JMD 11.9K

16.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,326

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 MX$28.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 MX$20.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,957 MX$68.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,513 MX$112.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$726 MX$12.5K

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Buff Bay: 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

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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