Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cotonou

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotonou: $897 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Cotonou
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Cotonou Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cotonou

🇧🇯 Benin

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $897 in Cotonou.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cotonou $897

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,428 in Cotonou.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cotonou $1,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,958 in Cotonou.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cotonou $1,958

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 34% more expensive than in Cotonou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Cotonou 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$5.18 F CFA 3,050

110.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$35.68 F CFA 21.0K

21.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$9.39 F CFA 5,527

25.45%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$5.25 F CFA 3,093

-27.43%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.00 F CFA 590

28.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.89 F CFA 523

-12.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$0.87 F CFA 511

264.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.59 F CFA 1,525

90.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$3.10 F CFA 1,824

-54.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.23 F CFA 725

80.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.88 F CFA 1,108

-24.47%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.74 F CFA 1,614

-8.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.25 F CFA 5,449

-21.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.43 F CFA 3,196

41.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$5.04 F CFA 2,966

151.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.99 F CFA 2,351

-30.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.78 F CFA 1,046

-23.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.33 F CFA 781

91.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$2.71 F CFA 1,595

-21.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.27 F CFA 746

52.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.68 F CFA 989

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.43 F CFA 253

167.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.14 F CFA 672

3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.37 F CFA 1,982

27.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$4.30 F CFA 2,530

131.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.17 F CFA 690

35.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.86 F CFA 1,094

43.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.30 F CFA 766

-57.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.38 F CFA 810

260.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.32 F CFA 778

152.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.18 F CFA 696

22.03%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$23.5K F CFA 13.8M

-0.19%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$145 F CFA 85.3K

-41.46%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$33.52 F CFA 19.7K

-30.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$49.06 F CFA 28.9K

-41.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$47.60 F CFA 28.0K

19.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$3.36 F CFA 1,978

760.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$8.58 F CFA 5,055

-40.09%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$131 F CFA 77.1K

57.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$5,544 F CFA 3.3M

-29.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$25.39 F CFA 15.0K

70.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$33.44 F CFA 19.7K

121.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$67.9 F CFA 40.0K

31.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$176 F CFA 103.6K

456.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$163 F CFA 95.9K

133.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$600 F CFA 353.4K

184.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$412 F CFA 242.9K

160.66%

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

$251 F CFA 147.5K

193.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

186.25%

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 Cotonou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cotonou

$163 18.2% 57.2% $218

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cotonou

$222 24.8% 12.9% $33

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cotonou

$150 16.7% 26% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cotonou

$227 25.4% 66.2% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cotonou

$57 * 6.4% 48.9% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cotonou

$65 7.2% 3.8% $2.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cotonou

$13 * 1.5% 73.9% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $176 in Cotonou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $36 in Cotonou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $222 per month, with Cotonou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇯 Cotonou

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

16:01 4:01 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

780,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, 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).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 589 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 655 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cotonou 9,710 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cotonou

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 Cotonou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cotonou is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and transport. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.9 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 $176 in Cotonou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $897 in Cotonou – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $897 in Cotonou versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cotonou but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Cotonou the clear choice for anyone on this 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.

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