Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cotabato City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotabato City: $738 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Cotabato City
Learn more

Cotabato City Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $738 in Cotabato City.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cotabato City $738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,139 in Cotabato City.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cotabato City $1,139

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,539 in Cotabato City.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cotabato City $1,539

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 63% more expensive than in Cotabato City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Cotabato City 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$4.81 ₱308

127.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$16.14 ₱1,033

168.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$3.97 ₱254

196.73%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.17 ₱139

75.58%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.06 ₱67.7

20.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.62 ₱39.81

25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.14 ₱73.2

178.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$2.08 ₱133

137.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$2.01 ₱129

-29.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.08 ₱68.9

105.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$0.75 ₱48.27

89.33%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.90 ₱121

32.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.44 ₱412

12.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.59 ₱294

67.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$9.44 ₱604

34.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.76 ₱176

0.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.10 ₱70.2

24.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$2.40 ₱154

6.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.17 ₱74.8

81.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.97 ₱126

-1.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$3.30 ₱211

-42.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.24 ₱79.1

-7.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.66 ₱42.21

78.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$2.40 ₱154

79.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$8.03 ₱514

23.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.27 ₱81.0

24.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.64 ₱105

62.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.22 ₱14.00

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$11.32 ₱724

135.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.76 ₱48.37

553.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.22 ₱13.99

1413.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$1.85 ₱118

189.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.10 ₱70.3

30.91%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$20.8K ₱1.3M

-0.74%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

25.03%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$108 ₱6,886

-21.20%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$18.43 ₱1,180

27.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$30.97 ₱1,982

-7.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$30.96 ₱1,981

84.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$5.25 ₱336

450.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$4.73 ₱302

8.67%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$105 ₱6,694

97.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$7,282 ₱466.0K

-46.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$32.48 ₱2,078

33.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$19.49 ₱1,247

112.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$69.5 ₱4,445

6.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$60.5 ₱3,868

47.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$224 ₱14.3K

336.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$153 ₱9,769

149.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$447 ₱28.6K

281.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$333 ₱21.3K

222.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,692 ₱172.2K

46.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,003 ₱64.2K

513.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.31

37.79%

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 Cotabato 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%

Cotabato City

$153 20.7% 59.9% $228

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cotabato City

$199 26.9% 21.9% $56

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cotabato City

$93 12.6% 54% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cotabato City

$157 21.3% 14.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cotabato City

$82 11.1% 26.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cotabato City

$40 5.5% 40% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cotabato City

$14 1.9% 72.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $224 in Cotabato City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $16 in Cotabato City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $199 per month, with Cotabato City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Cotabato City

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

09:23 9:23 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

325,079

💱 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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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cotabato City 15,400 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Cotabato City wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cotabato City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,107 in Cotabato City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $224 in Cotabato City. 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 $738 in Cotabato City – Cotabato City is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cotabato City runs roughly 57% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.

Expats usually find Cotabato City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.