Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Dasmarinas

For one person, living is cheaper in Dasmarinas: $487 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Dasmarinas
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Dasmarinas Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Dasmarinas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$487

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $487 in Dasmarinas.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Dasmarinas $487

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $723 in Dasmarinas.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Dasmarinas $723

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

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Dasmarinas $959

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 147% more expensive than in Dasmarinas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Dasmarinas 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$3.97 ₱253

175.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$16.74 ₱1,067

159.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$2.80 ₱178

320.71%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$1.75 ₱112

117.71%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.55 ₱34.96

132.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.32 ₱20.70

143.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$0.96 ₱60.9

230.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.59 ₱101

210.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.36 ₱86.9

3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.09 ₱69.3

103.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$0.69 ₱43.92

105.80%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.75 ₱112

44.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$4.98 ₱317

45.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.31 ₱211

132.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$4.52 ₱288

180.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.16 ₱137

28.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.58 ₱101

-13.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.29 ₱146

11.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.01 ₱64.4

109.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.69 ₱108

14.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.67 ₱106

13.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.61 ₱39.06

88.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.52 ₱32.84

126.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$2.82 ₱180

52.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.65 ₱551

15.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$0.89 ₱56.8

77.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.05 ₱131

30.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$0.81 ₱51.4

513.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.22 ₱13.94

1413.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$1.84 ₱117

191.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.12 ₱71.3

28.57%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

0.03%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

23.82%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$46.50 ₱2,963

82.34%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$16.94 ₱1,079

38.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$23.10 ₱1,472

24.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$33.40 ₱2,128

70.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$4.95 ₱316

3.84%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$133 ₱8,443

55.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$10.6K ₱673.6K

-62.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$28.83 ₱1,837

50.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$18.88 ₱1,203

119.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$70.6 ₱4,500

5.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$55.2 ₱3,517

61.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$47.44 ₱3,023

702.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$350 ₱22.3K

109.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.4

78.91%

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 Dasmarinas: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Dasmarinas

$47 9.8% 87.5% $333

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Dasmarinas

$157 32.2% 38.5% $98

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Dasmarinas

$73 14.9% 64.1% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Dasmarinas

$87 17.8% 36.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Dasmarinas

$78 16.1% 30.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Dasmarinas

$43 8.9% 35.7% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Dasmarinas

$1.9 * 0.4% 96.2% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.1 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $17 in Dasmarinas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $157 per month, with Dasmarinas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Dasmarinas

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

09:03 9:03 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

659,019

💱 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 2, 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 2, 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 Dasmarinas 15,070 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Dasmarinas

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 Dasmarinas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $487 in Dasmarinas, so Dasmarinas is about 60% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $133 in Dasmarinas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dasmarinas – a meal for two runs $17 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $487 in Dasmarinas versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Dasmarinas but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Dasmarinas 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 – Dasmarinas 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.