Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $934 in Cebu.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,423 in Cebu.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cebu $1,423

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,913 in Cebu.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cebu $1,913

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 29% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Cebu 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$3.79 ₱242

188.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$23.33 ₱1,487

85.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$3.94 ₱251

198.98%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.54 ₱162

50.00%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.57 ₱99.9

-18.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.47 ₱29.74

65.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.77 ₱112

79.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.22 ₱141

122.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.90 ₱121

-25.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.36 ₱86.9

63.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$0.94 ₱59.7

51.06%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.99 ₱127

26.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$9.70 ₱618

-25.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$4.32 ₱275

78.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$7.51 ₱479

68.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.31 ₱211

-16.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.37 ₱87.3

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.34 ₱149

8.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.49 ₱95.1

42.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.30 ₱146

-15.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.87 ₱119

1.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.10 ₱70.2

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.63 ₱40.25

87.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$2.86 ₱182

50.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$6.08 ₱388

63.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.27 ₱81.2

24.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.72 ₱109

55.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.22 ₱13.95

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$12.34 ₱786

115.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$0.74 ₱47.40

571.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.22 ₱14.05

1413.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$4.28 ₱272

25.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.31 ₱83.5

9.92%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$20.8K ₱1.3M

-0.48%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

23.20%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$118 ₱7,545

-28.39%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$15.76 ₱1,004

48.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$28.33 ₱1,805

1.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$32.94 ₱2,099

73.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$6.49 ₱413

345.45%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$5.45 ₱347

-5.69%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$276 ₱17.6K

-25.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$7,789 ₱496.3K

-49.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$48.18 ₱3,070

-10.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$24.47 ₱1,559

69.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$75.3 ₱4,797

-1.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$58.0 ₱3,697

53.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$477 ₱30.4K

105.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$322 ₱20.5K

18.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$963 ₱61.4K

77.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$626 ₱39.9K

71.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$4,551 ₱290.0K

-13.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$3,028 ₱193.0K

103.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$333 ₱21.2K

120.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.2

59.03%

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 Cebu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cebu

$322 34.5% 15.5% $59

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cebu

$204 21.8% 20% $51

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cebu

$94 10.1% 53.5% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cebu

$163 17.4% 18.7% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cebu

$93 9.9% 17% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 34.9% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cebu

$15 1.6% 70.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $477 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $23 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $204 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

05:16 5:16 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

964,169

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cebu 15,190 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cebu

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 Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $477 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $934 in Cebu – Cebu is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 54% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cebu delivers better value at $934 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cebu hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.