Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Busia, Uganda

Name: Busia
Address: Busia, UG

For one person, living is cheaper in Busia: $69.4 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Busia

🇺🇬 Uganda

$69.4

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $69 in Busia.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Busia $69

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $114 in Busia.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Busia $114

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $159 in Busia.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Busia $159

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 1636% more expensive than in Busia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Busia 95% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$0.30 UGX 1,319

370.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.23 UGX 5,342

80.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.43 UGX 6,192

76.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$3.56 UGX 15.5K

256.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.34 UGX 10.2K

18.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$0.69 UGX 2,978

207.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.41 UGX 6,120

34.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.23 UGX 993

413.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$1.11 UGX 4,829

287.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$4.93 UGX 21.4K

101.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$0.95 UGX 4,115

66.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.18 UGX 5,107

126.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

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

$23.41 MX$440

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Busia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Busia

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Busia

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Busia

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Busia

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Busia

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Busia

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Busia

–

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇬 Busia

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

05:05 5:05 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

64,900

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.3 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.06 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4,345 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.3 USD). 1 EUR = 4,851 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.06 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Busia 13,210 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Busia

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 Busia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Busia wins on cost – living expenses run 94% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Busia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $104 in Busia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 267% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $69 in Busia – Busia is about 94% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $69 in Busia versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Busia but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Busia 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.