Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cauayan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cauayan City: $713 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Cauayan City
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Cauayan City Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cauayan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Cauayan 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 Cauayan City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $713 in Cauayan City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cauayan City $713

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,058 in Cauayan City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cauayan City $1,058

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,403 in Cauayan City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cauayan City $1,403

Playa del Carmen costs about 69% more than Cauayan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cauayan City are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Cauayan City 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$3.90 ₱249

180.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$16.18 ₱1,036

168.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$2.74 ₱175

329.93%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.73 ₱111

120.23%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.60 ₱38.22

113.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.34 ₱21.47

129.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$0.94 ₱60.0

237.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$1.52 ₱97.4

224.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.64 ₱105

-14.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.14 ₱72.9

94.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.02 ₱65.1

39.22%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.00 ₱128

26.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$5.05 ₱323

43.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.30 ₱211

133.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$7.76 ₱497

63.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.26 ₱145

23.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.50 ₱96.2

-8.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$2.27 ₱146

12.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.02 ₱65.1

107.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.63 ₱105

19.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.67 ₱107

13.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.62 ₱39.45

85.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.51 ₱32.65

131.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$2.87 ₱184

49.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$8.55 ₱547

16.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$0.96 ₱61.2

64.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.94 ₱124

37.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.20 ₱12.79

175.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$11.13 ₱712

139.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.77 ₱49.11

545.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.24 ₱15.40

1287.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$1.94 ₱124

176.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$0.90 ₱57.8

60.00%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$21.2K ₱1.4M

-2.61%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$18.6K ₱1.2M

26.11%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$136 ₱8,678

-37.48%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$10.22 ₱654

129.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$22.48 ₱1,439

27.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$30.76 ₱1,969

85.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$4.94 ₱316

485.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$4.98 ₱319

3.21%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$130 ₱8,350

58.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$10.7K ₱687.0K

-63.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$28.90 ₱1,849

50.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$19.42 ₱1,243

113.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$54.4 ₱3,479

36.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$54.1 ₱3,464

64.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$226 ₱14.5K

333.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$176 ₱11.2K

116.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$460 ₱29.4K

271.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$327 ₱21.0K

228.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,599 ₱166.3K

51.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,133 ₱72.5K

443.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cauayan City: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cauayan City

$176 24.7% 53.8% $205

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cauayan City

$172 24.1% 32.6% $83

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cauayan City

$72 10% 64.6% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cauayan City

$168 23.6% 23% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cauayan City

$71 9.9% 36.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cauayan City

$41 5.7% 39.5% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cauayan City

$14 2% 72.4% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $226 in Cauayan City. 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $16 in Cauayan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $172 – making Cauayan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Cauayan City

🕒 Local time

21:14 9:14 PM

10:14 10:14 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,616

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.24 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cauayan City 14,780 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cauayan 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 Cauayan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $713 in Cauayan City – Cauayan City comes out roughly 41% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,069 in Cauayan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cauayan City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $226 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $130 in Cauayan City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Cauayan City, where all-in costs run around $713, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Cauayan 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 Cauayan City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Cauayan City is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 41% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.