Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Dili

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,574 in Dili, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dili outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Dili
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Dili Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Dili

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,574 in Dili, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Dili $1,574

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,466 in Dili, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Dili $2,466

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,359 in Dili, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Dili $3,359

Playa del Carmen is about 23% cheaper than Dili, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Dili is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$5.13 $5.13

113.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$42.43 $42.43

5.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$7.91 $7.91

50.70%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$4.18 $4.18

-9.09%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$1.63 $1.63

-19.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$2.76 $2.76

-68.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$2.57 $2.57

24.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$4.46 $4.46

12.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$2.37 $2.37

-38.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$2.52 $2.52

-7.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$0.96 $0.96

50.00%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$2.68 $2.68

-8.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$2.05 $2.05

275.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$9.41 $9.41

-16.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$15.78 $15.78

-18.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$3.29 $3.29

-11.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.85 $1.85

-23.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$2.49 $2.49

3.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$2.26 $2.26

-5.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.24 $1.24

57.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.15 $1.15

68.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$0.85 $0.85

35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.98 $0.98

24.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$3.08 $3.08

42.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$11.95 $11.95

-17.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$2.19 $2.19

-29.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$2.89 $2.89

-5.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$0.24 $0.24

116.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$29.78 $29.78

-7.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$3.52 $3.52

39.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$3.58 $3.58

-1.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$19.75 $19.75

-71.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.44 $1.44

6.94%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$18.0K $18.0K

18.11%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$16.7K $16.7K

46.43%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$152 $152

-44.90%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$27.49 $27.49

-12.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$49.46 $49.46

31.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$6.17 $6.17

-17.50%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$1,477 $1,477

-85.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$16.1K $16.1K

-74.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$61.0 $61.0

-26.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$30.46 $30.46

38.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$79.3 $79.3

-4.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$60.3 $60.3

51.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$831 $831

18.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$759 $759

-49.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$2,739 $2,739

-37.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$1,504 $1,504

-26.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$3,656 $3,656

-79.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.37

113.22%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dili: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Dili

$759 47.9% 97.1% $374

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Dili

$275 17.3% 5.5% $14

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Dili

$154 9.7% 24.3% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Dili

$179 * 11.3% 30.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Dili

$104 6.6% 8.9% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Dili

$62 3.9% 17.6% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Dili

$52 3.3% 0.2% $0.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $831 in Dili. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 382% higher in Dili, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $42.00 in Dili. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Playa del Carmen vs $275 in Dili – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇱 Dili

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

19:29 7:29 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

222,323 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Dili 16,260 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Dili

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 Dili: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dili is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,361 in Dili. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen and $42.00 in Dili. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $1,574 in Dili. That's a gap of about 30%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Dili at $1,574. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dili it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dili makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.