Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cabarete Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cabarete

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,271 in Playa del Carmen versus $857 in Cabarete.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,336 in Cabarete.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,815 in Cabarete.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 48% more expensive than Cabarete, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Cabarete 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.87 MX$204

$6.39 DOP 374

85.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.90 MX$736

$35.22 DOP 2,063

21.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$183

$6.33 DOP 371

68.25%

Cappuccino

$3.45 MX$59.2

$2.20 DOP 129

56.82%

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

$1.50 MX$25.81

$0.98 DOP 57.4

53.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 MX$16.28

$0.85 DOP 49.81

11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$51.9

$2.60 DOP 152

16.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MX$79.1

$3.69 DOP 216

24.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$23.61

$0.93 DOP 54.5

48.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 MX$31.70

$1.41 DOP 82.3

31.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.65

$1.47 DOP 86.3

9.52%

Eggs

$2.59 MX$44.51

$1.64 DOP 96.3

57.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 MX$142

$7.22 DOP 423

14.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 MX$144

$4.84 DOP 283

72.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 MX$183

$5.49 DOP 321

94.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 MX$45.12

$0.90 DOP 52.7

192.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.53

$0.86 DOP 50.4

73.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 MX$32.94

$1.91 DOP 112

0.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$35.81

$1.33 DOP 77.9

57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$31.88

$1.06 DOP 62.0

75.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 MX$38.81

$1.75 DOP 102

29.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MX$18.23

$1.11 DOP 65.0

-4.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.67

$0.93 DOP 54.4

17.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$71.2

$3.35 DOP 197

23.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 MX$178

$10.68 DOP 626

-2.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 MX$29.59

$2.37 DOP 139

-27.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$44.85

$2.69 DOP 157

-2.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.30

$0.69 DOP 40.53

-21.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 MX$462

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$53.7

$3.42 DOP 200

-8.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 MX$43.09

$2.14 DOP 125

17.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$54.1

$5.99 DOP 351

-47.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$21.88

$1.25 DOP 73.1

1.60%

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

$30.4K MX$521.3K

$26.5K DOP 1.6M

14.59%

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

$23.6K MX$404.5K

$31.8K DOP 1.9M

-25.99%

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

$83.0 MX$1,425

$50.5 DOP 2,957

64.45%

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

$22.71 MX$390

$24.98 DOP 1,463

-9.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.46 MX$506

$16.73 DOP 980

76.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 MX$875

$43.57 DOP 2,552

17.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 MX$315

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MX$84.5

$6.70 DOP 393

-26.42%

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

$197 MX$3,386

$264 DOP 15.4K

-25.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,280 MX$90.6K

$8,042 DOP 471.1K

-34.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.90 MX$633

$59.5 DOP 3,484

-37.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 MX$685

$51.2 DOP 3,001

-22.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 MX$1,373

$94.9 DOP 5,562

-15.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 MX$1,536

$116 DOP 6,823

-23.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$16.4K

$875 DOP 51.2K

9.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,189

$255 DOP 14.9K

86.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 MX$28.3K

$601 DOP 35.2K

173.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 MX$21.0K

$372 DOP 21.8K

229.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,918 MX$67.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,459 MX$110.9K

$305 DOP 17.9K

2017.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 MX$11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

12.9

-11.47%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 7, 2026

Last update for Cabarete: June 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Playa del Carmen and $875 in Cabarete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $35.00 in Cabarete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $183 per month, with Cabarete cheaper across the board.

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 Cabarete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cabarete wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cabarete the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,906 in Playa del Carmen and $1,286 in Cabarete 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $956 in Playa del Carmen versus $875 in Cabarete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $197 in Playa del Carmen versus $264 in Cabarete. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cabarete – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $857 in Cabarete versus $1,271 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cabarete but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Cabarete the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cabarete delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $857 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cabarete hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Cabarete are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cabarete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.