Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Centurion

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,367 in Centurion, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
Learn more

Centurion Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,367

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,367 in Centurion.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Centurion $1,367

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,206 in Centurion.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Centurion $2,206

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,045 in Centurion.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Centurion $3,045

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 12% less than in Centurion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$21.75 R 361

-49.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$40.00 R 664

8.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$5.75 R 95.5

104.87%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.67 R 44.30

42.70%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.97 R 16.05

31.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.87 R 14.41

-10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.04 R 33.90

55.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$2.42 R 40.14

103.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.17 R 19.35

20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.21 R 20.13

83.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$2.11 R 35.07

-32.70%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.93 R 48.73

-13.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$10.09 R 168

-28.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.63 R 110

16.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$7.26 R 121

74.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.86 R 30.91

49.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.86 R 30.93

-26.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$2.14 R 35.49

19.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$2.05 R 34.08

3.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.59 R 26.34

22.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.78 R 29.58

6.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.36 R 22.52

-15.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.39 R 23.06

-15.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$3.70 R 61.4

16.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$5.94 R 98.7

67.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.58 R 26.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.09 R 34.68

27.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$2.36 R 39.18

-76.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$97.4 R 1,617

-72.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.22 R 20.30

307.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.18 R 19.61

182.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$9.04 R 150

-40.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.44 R 23.93

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$35.7K R 593.0K

-42.12%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$32.9K R 545.8K

-28.59%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$136 R 2,263

-37.76%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$29.89 R 497

-21.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$40.20 R 668

-28.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$43.78 R 727

30.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$10.59 R 176

-51.46%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$315 R 5,226

-34.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$4,416 R 73.4K

-11.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$58.5 R 972

-25.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$43.25 R 718

-4.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$117 R 1,944

-36.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$102 R 1,696

-12.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$335 R 5,571

192.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$369 R 6,124

3.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$581 R 9,643

194.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$891 R 14.8K

20.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$527 R 8,757

647.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$605 R 10.0K

918.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$2,364 R 39.3K

-68.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.5

9.05%

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 Centurion: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Centurion

$369 27% 3.2% $12

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Centurion

$223 16.3% 12.5% $32

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Centurion

$246 18% 21.4% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Centurion

$206 15.1% 50.8% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Centurion

$144 10.6% 29.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Centurion

$65 4.8% 3.5% $2.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Centurion

$114 8.3% 126% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $335 in Centurion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $40 in Centurion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $223 per month, with Centurion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Centurion

🕒 Local time

03:59 3:59 AM

10:59 10:59 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

236,580

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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 = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.54 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Centurion 13,440 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Centurion

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 Centurion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Centurion. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 69% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $335 in Centurion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 73% less than in Centurion. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $315 in Centurion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Centurion on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.