Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Calapan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Calapan City: $729 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Calapan City
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Calapan City Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Calapan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Calapan City

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $729 in Calapan City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Calapan City $729

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,109 in Calapan City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Calapan City $1,109

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,489 in Calapan City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Calapan City $1,489

Playa del Carmen costs about 65% more than Calapan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Calapan City are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Calapan City 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$3.85 ₱242

182.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$16.48 ₱1,038

168.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$2.88 ₱181

308.33%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.26 ₱142

62.83%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.66 ₱41.77

103.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.33 ₱20.85

148.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.13 ₱70.9

170.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$1.98 ₱125

149.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.66 ₱105

-11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.11 ₱70.1

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$0.94 ₱59.1

57.45%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.95 ₱123

27.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$5.70 ₱359

31.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.22 ₱266

88.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$7.04 ₱444

78.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.44 ₱153

13.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.55 ₱97.7

-7.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.41 ₱152

8.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.18 ₱74.3

81.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.95 ₱123

3.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.01 ₱127

-1.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.95 ₱59.8

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.53 ₱33.67

126.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.00 ₱189

42.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$7.66 ₱483

30.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$0.95 ₱59.7

62.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.88 ₱118

41.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.24 ₱15.09

120.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$10.94 ₱689

151.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.74 ₱46.48

562.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.21 ₱13.21

1533.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$1.88 ₱119

186.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.05 ₱66.4

38.10%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.6K ₱1.4M

-2.09%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

18.52%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$125 ₱7,890

-31.88%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$14.98 ₱943

56.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$24.28 ₱1,529

17.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$32.60 ₱2,052

90.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$4.75 ₱299

503.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$5.08 ₱320

0.39%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$134 ₱8,406

50.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$8,121 ₱511.3K

-51.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$32.97 ₱2,076

34.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$19.24 ₱1,211

114.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$70.3 ₱4,426

3.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$55.9 ₱3,521

60.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$267 ₱16.8K

266.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$168 ₱10.6K

121.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$517 ₱32.6K

224.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$349 ₱22.0K

213.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$2,398 ₱151.0K

64.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,006 ₱63.3K

510.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$117 ₱7,379

529.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.79

68.63%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Calapan City: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Calapan City

$168 23% 54.9% $205

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Calapan City

$180 24.6% 30.5% $79

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Calapan City

$80 11% 60% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Calapan City

$165 22.6% 19.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Calapan City

$80 11% 28.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Calapan City

$43 5.9% 40.9% $30

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Calapan City

$14 1.9% 73.5% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $267 in Calapan City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 529% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $16.00 in Calapan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $180 – making Calapan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Calapan City

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

18:28 6:28 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

145,786

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Calapan City 15,130 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Calapan City

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 Calapan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,094 in Calapan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calapan City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $16.00 in Calapan City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $729 in Calapan City. That's a gap of about 65%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Calapan City, where all-in costs run around $729, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Calapan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calapan City – 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 Calapan City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.