Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Dipolog

For one person, living is cheaper in Dipolog: $776 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Dipolog
Learn more

Dipolog Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Dipolog

🇵🇭 Philippines

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $776 in Dipolog, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Dipolog $776

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,132 in Dipolog, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Dipolog $1,132

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,488 in Dipolog, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Dipolog $1,488

Playa del Carmen costs about 55% more than Dipolog, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Dipolog are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Dipolog 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$1.53 ₱97.5

597.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$19.22 ₱1,222

127.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$3.07 ₱195

284.04%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.55 ₱98.7

144.52%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.37 ₱23.82

251.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.23 ₱14.61

260.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.09 ₱69.4

188.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.56 ₱99.3

216.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.54 ₱98.0

-8.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.81 ₱51.7

171.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.81 ₱51.2

81.48%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$1.95 ₱124

28.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$4.67 ₱297

56.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.57 ₱290

73.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$5.51 ₱350

133.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.54 ₱97.9

88.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.23 ₱78.4

12.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$2.00 ₱127

24.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$0.93 ₱59.3

118.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$1.89 ₱120

6.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.56 ₱99.0

21.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.01 ₱64.3

12.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.60 ₱38.23

106.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.72 ₱173

56.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$4.04 ₱257

142.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.14 ₱72.6

39.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.59 ₱101

72.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.26 ₱16.31

96.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$14.55 ₱925

88.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$1.05 ₱66.5

353.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.20 ₱12.71

1525.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$1.88 ₱120

186.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.85 ₱54.1

80.00%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-0.05%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

21.53%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$67.9 ₱4,317

22.96%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$8.09 ₱514

186.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$23.89 ₱1,519

15.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$31.96 ₱2,032

76.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$5.47 ₱348

-8.59%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$297 ₱18.9K

-30.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$6,827 ₱434.1K

-23.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$51.0 ₱3,243

-14.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$25.96 ₱1,650

63.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$79.1 ₱5,029

-8.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$66.8 ₱4,245

32.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$413 ₱26.3K

140.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$311 ₱19.8K

22.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$762 ₱48.4K

119.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$483 ₱30.7K

123.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$3,505 ₱222.9K

11.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$2,701 ₱171.7K

127.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$236 ₱15.0K

253.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

63.57%

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 Dipolog: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Dipolog

$311 40.1% 18.5% $71

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Dipolog

$153 19.7% 40.7% $105

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Dipolog

$51 6.6% 74.5% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Dipolog

$100 12.9% 25.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Dipolog

$100 12.9% 9.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Dipolog

$43 5.5% 35.4% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Dipolog

$18 2.3% 65.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $413 in Dipolog. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $19 in Dipolog. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $153 – making Dipolog the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Dipolog

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

12:06 12:06 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

130,759

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Dipolog 15,370 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Dipolog

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 Dipolog: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 55% more than Dipolog, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,164 in Dipolog. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dipolog, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $413 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $297 in Dipolog. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 69% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $776 in Dipolog to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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