Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cabanatuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabanatuan: $601 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Cabanatuan
Learn more

Cabanatuan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Cabanatuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $601 in Cabanatuan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Cabanatuan $601

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $954 in Cabanatuan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cabanatuan $954

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,308 in Cabanatuan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Cabanatuan $1,308

Playa del Carmen costs about 100% more than Cabanatuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cabanatuan are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Cabanatuan 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.87 ₱246

175.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$16.59 ₱1,055

164.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$2.71 ₱172

335.06%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.74 ₱111

117.82%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.60 ₱38.00

116.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.33 ₱21.20

151.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$0.94 ₱59.6

235.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.60 ₱102

208.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.64 ₱104

-14.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.11 ₱70.5

98.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.88 ₱55.7

67.05%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$2.04 ₱130

22.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$4.87 ₱309

49.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.29 ₱209

141.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.57 ₱481

69.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.26 ₱144

28.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.04 ₱65.9

32.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$2.39 ₱152

4.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$0.81 ₱51.5

150.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$1.64 ₱104

23.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.71 ₱109

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.88 ₱56.3

29.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.52 ₱32.96

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.93 ₱186

45.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$8.71 ₱554

12.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$0.88 ₱55.7

80.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.06 ₱131

33.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.24 ₱15.28

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$12.40 ₱789

120.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.81 ₱51.3

487.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.20 ₱12.75

1525.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$1.86 ₱118

189.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.95 ₱60.5

61.05%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$21.3K ₱1.4M

-0.63%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

20.61%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$52.5 ₱3,335

59.18%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$17.00 ₱1,081

36.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$21.22 ₱1,349

30.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$10.94 ₱695

415.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$5.15 ₱327

447.38%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$5.05 ₱321

-0.99%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$132 ₱8,365

57.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$10.7K ₱682.1K

-51.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$23.07 ₱1,467

88.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$19.29 ₱1,227

120.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$57.8 ₱3,674

25.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$55.8 ₱3,549

58.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$250 ₱15.9K

298.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$164 ₱10.4K

132.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$485 ₱30.8K

245.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$349 ₱22.2K

210.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,631 ₱167.3K

48.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,099 ₱69.9K

458.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$159 ₱10.1K

424.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.75

69.63%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cabanatuan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Cabanatuan

$164 27.3% 57.1% $218

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Cabanatuan

$168 28% 34.7% $89

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Cabanatuan

$72 11.9% 64.2% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Cabanatuan

$91 15.1% 32.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Cabanatuan

$70 11.7% 36.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Cabanatuan

$21 3.5% 68.3% $45

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cabanatuan

$15 2.5% 69.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $250 in Cabanatuan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $17 in Cabanatuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $168 – making Cabanatuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Cabanatuan

🕒 Local time

17:39 5:39 PM

06:39 6:39 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

302,231

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cabanatuan 14,960 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cabanatuan

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 Cabanatuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $601 in Cabanatuan – Cabanatuan comes out roughly 50% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $901 in Cabanatuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabanatuan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $250 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $17 in Cabanatuan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $601 in Cabanatuan. That makes Cabanatuan about 50% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Cabanatuan, where all-in costs run around $601, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Cabanatuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cabanatuan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cabanatuan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.