Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Didim

For one person, living is cheaper in Didim: $1,006 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Didim
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Didim Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Didim

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,006 in Didim.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Didim $1,006

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,541 in Didim.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Didim $1,541

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,075 in Didim.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Didim $2,075

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 20% more expensive than in Didim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Didim 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$7.97 ₺398

33.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$29.80 ₺1,490

46.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.89 ₺395

49.43%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.47 ₺173

9.22%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.27 ₺63.5

2.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.37 ₺18.31

124.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.95 ₺147

6.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.65 ₺183

35.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.02 ₺51.1

38.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.59 ₺29.42

272.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.82 ₺90.9

-19.23%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.35 ₺117

6.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.04 ₺402

-9.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.95 ₺197

101.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$20.23 ₺1,011

-36.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.56 ₺77.8

85.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.65 ₺82.4

-16.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$0.84 ₺41.79

196.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.02 ₺51.0

99.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$0.44 ₺22.20

359.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.42 ₺20.92

352.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.06 ₺53.2

7.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.59 ₺29.41

110.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.16 ₺108

97.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$11.79 ₺589

-16.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.36 ₺118

-32.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.92 ₺146

-5.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.69 ₺34.54

-26.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$19.96 ₺998

37.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$1.27 ₺63.5

274.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.89 ₺44.58

265.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$5.80 ₺290

-7.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.33 ₺66.3

15.04%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$39.9K ₺2.0M

-46.77%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$40.5K ₺2.0M

-42.54%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$69.5 ₺3,474

20.15%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$10.04 ₺502

130.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$13.90 ₺695

98.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$52.9 ₺2,647

6.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$6.18 ₺309

-19.09%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$671 ₺33.6K

-69.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$10.2K ₺508.2K

-48.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$47.46 ₺2,373

-8.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$35.93 ₺1,796

18.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$91.5 ₺4,577

-20.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$78.4 ₺3,919

12.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$421 ₺21.0K

136.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$329 ₺16.4K

16.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$765 ₺38.2K

118.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$567 ₺28.3K

90.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,475 ₺73.7K

165.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$988 ₺49.4K

521.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$702 ₺35.1K

18.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

40.44

-71.69%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Didim: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Didim

$329 32.7% 14% $53

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Didim

$218 21.7% 15.3% $39

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Didim

$158 15.7% 21.3% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Didim

$93 9.3% 30.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Didim

$114 11.3% 2.5% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Didim

$65 6.5% 1.7% $1.1

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Didim

$28 2.8% 43.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $421 in Didim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 19% 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: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $30 in Didim for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $218 per month, with Didim cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇷 Didim

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

02:09 2:09 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

93,876

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 49.99 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 55.91 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Didim 10,600 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Didim

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 Didim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Didim wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Didim the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $421 in Didim. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $671 in Didim. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Didim is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Didim gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.