Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cavite

For one person, living is cheaper in Cavite: $564 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Cavite
Learn more

Cavite Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cavite

🇵🇭 Philippines

$564

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $564 in Cavite, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cavite $564

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $879 in Cavite, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cavite $879

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,194 in Cavite, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cavite $1,194

Playa del Carmen costs about 114% more than Cavite, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cavite are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Cavite 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$2.34 ₱149

366.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$15.86 ₱1,014

173.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$2.26 ₱144

421.24%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.77 ₱113

115.25%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.58 ₱37.32

120.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.33 ₱21.18

136.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$0.95 ₱60.5

233.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$1.54 ₱98.7

220.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.38 ₱88.1

2.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.09 ₱69.6

103.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$0.89 ₱56.9

59.55%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.95 ₱125

29.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$5.10 ₱326

42.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.40 ₱217

126.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$6.12 ₱391

107.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.03 ₱130

36.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.06 ₱67.7

29.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$2.34 ₱150

8.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.05 ₱67.4

101.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.66 ₱106

16.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.45 ₱92.4

30.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.49 ₱31.23

134.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.48 ₱30.64

145.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$1.99 ₱127

116.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$4.61 ₱295

115.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$0.92 ₱58.8

71.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.27 ₱81.3

110.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$13.30 ₱850

100.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.65 ₱41.74

664.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.24 ₱15.36

1287.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$1.93 ₱123

177.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.17 ₱74.5

23.08%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$20.6K ₱1.3M

0.51%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

21.98%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$88.2 ₱5,633

-3.83%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$13.52 ₱864

73.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$23.40 ₱1,495

22.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$46.02 ₱2,940

23.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$5.03 ₱321

2.19%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$131 ₱8,387

57.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$10.6K ₱679.7K

-63.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$28.81 ₱1,840

50.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$19.03 ₱1,216

117.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$71.4 ₱4,563

3.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$54.4 ₱3,477

64.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$134 ₱8,555

631.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$81.0 ₱5,177

369.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$238 ₱15.2K

617.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$191 ₱12.2K

462.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$222 ₱14.2K

231.05%

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 Cavite: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cavite

$81 14.4% 78.7% $300

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cavite

$150 26.6% 41.2% $105

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cavite

$58 10.3% 71.2% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cavite

$125 22.2% 8.6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cavite

$78 13.9% 30% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cavite

$56 10% 16.7% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cavite

$15 * 2.7% 70% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $134 in Cavite. 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 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $16 in Cavite. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $150 – making Cavite the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Cavite

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

00:06 12:06 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

100,674

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.11 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cavite 15,060 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cavite

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 Cavite: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 114%, 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 $845 in Cavite. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cavite, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $134 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $564 in Cavite. That’s a gap of about 114%.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Cavite. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cavite, where all-in costs run around $564, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Cavite it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cavite – 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 Cavite. 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.