Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cape Coast

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Cape Coast: $1,210 and $1,261 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Cape Coast
Learn more

Cape Coast Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Cape Coast

🇬🇭 Ghana

$1,261

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Cape Coast

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,261 in Cape Coast, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Cape Coast $1,261

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,989 in Cape Coast, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Cape Coast $1,989

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,716 in Cape Coast, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Cape Coast $2,716

Playa del Carmen is about 4% cheaper than Cape Coast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cape Coast are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Cape Coast 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$8.15 GHS 94.8

32.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$51.9 GHS 603

-17.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$10.18 GHS 118

15.82%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$4.45 GHS 51.7

-13.03%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.57 GHS 18.27

-12.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.45 GHS 5.19

86.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.84 GHS 21.40

68.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.20 GHS 25.56

130.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$3.64 GHS 42.35

-60.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.67 GHS 19.47

33.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$3.07 GHS 35.70

-52.12%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.55 GHS 29.68

-0.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$12.01 GHS 140

-39.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$7.04 GHS 81.8

11.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$9.76 GHS 114

31.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.57 GHS 41.48

-18.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.38 GHS 16.10

4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.76 GHS 20.53

44.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$3.63 GHS 42.26

-43.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$2.77 GHS 32.22

-27.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$2.74 GHS 31.82

-26.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.69 GHS 8.06

72.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.60 GHS 7.00

110.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$2.50 GHS 29.13

76.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$7.32 GHS 85.1

31.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.28 GHS 14.86

24.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.38 GHS 27.71

18.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.73 GHS 20.07

187.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.25 GHS 14.50

180.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$4.26 GHS 49.55

26.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.29 GHS 14.98

13.95%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$7,862 GHS 91.4K

166.92%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$9,880 GHS 114.9K

141.97%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$73.2 GHS 851

15.10%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$19.55 GHS 227

22.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$43.07 GHS 501

-32.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$12.92 GHS 150

-61.76%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$466 GHS 5,421

-56.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$18.7K GHS 217.7K

-78.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$14.04 GHS 163

210.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$18.28 GHS 213

135.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$36.79 GHS 428

105.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$53.0 GHS 616

67.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$608 GHS 7,076

65.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$589 GHS 6,848

-36.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,230 GHS 14.3K

38.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$1,119 GHS 13.0K

-1.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

26.75

-57.20%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cape Coast: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Cape Coast

$589 46.7% 57.4% $215

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Cape Coast

$277 22% 7.2% $19

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Cape Coast

$171 13.5% 15.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Cape Coast

$136 10.8% 1% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Cape Coast

$55 4.4% 51.4% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Cape Coast

$26 * 2.1% 64.5% $47

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Cape Coast

$8 * 0.6% 84.9% $45

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $608 in Cape Coast. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $52.0 in Cape Coast. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $277 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇭 Cape Coast

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

11:06 11:06 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

155,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.07 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cape Coast 9,380 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cape Coast

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 Cape Coast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Coast is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,892 in Cape Coast. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $1,261 in Cape Coast. That's a gap of about 4%.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $466 in Cape Coast. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Cape Coast at $1,261. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Coast it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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