Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and the Dominican Republic

For one person, living is cheaper in the Dominican Republic: $1,035 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
$1,035
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 37.4% more expensive than the Dominican Republic without rent, and 17.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 18.7% more expensive than the Dominican Republic without rent, and 33.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Dominican Republic
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.97 MX$201
$8.40 DOP 511
30.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.85 MX$823
$50.2 DOP 3,053
-10.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.92 MX$219
$7.60 DOP 463
56.84%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$69.9
$2.03 DOP 124
87.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.08
$1.02 DOP 62.1
28.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 MX$15.72
$0.63 DOP 38.28
36.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.21 MX$59.0
$2.50 DOP 152
28.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.01 MX$92.0
$4.23 DOP 258
18.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Dominican Republic
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$26.77
$1.32 DOP 80.3
10.61%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 MX$42.72
$1.74 DOP 106
33.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.48
$1.52 DOP 92.7
-5.26%
Eggs
$2.46 MX$45.20
$1.77 DOP 108
38.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.70 MX$141
$7.81 DOP 475
-1.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.89 MX$145
$6.12 DOP 372
28.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.80 MX$235
$6.79 DOP 413
88.51%
Apples (1kg)
$2.92 MX$53.6
$3.26 DOP 198
-10.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.11
$0.89 DOP 54.0
59.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.57 MX$47.10
$2.77 DOP 169
-7.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.24
$1.68 DOP 102
27.38%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.75
$2.16 DOP 132
-9.72%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 MX$35.55
$2.20 DOP 134
-11.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.13
$0.98 DOP 59.6
17.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.42
$0.98 DOP 59.4
24.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 MX$80.3
$5.38 DOP 327
-18.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.85 MX$181
$10.24 DOP 623
-3.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.23
$2.81 DOP 171
-45.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 MX$49.86
$3.23 DOP 196
-15.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Dominican Republic
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.64
$0.65 DOP 39.44
-20.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.42 MX$503
$20.17 DOP 1,228
35.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.91 MX$90.2
$3.38 DOP 206
45.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.52 MX$64.7
$2.17 DOP 132
62.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.69 MX$104
$5.97 DOP 363
-4.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 MX$28.27
$1.35 DOP 82.3
14.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$389.9K
$23.6K DOP 1.4M
-10.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K MX$449.6K
$31.7K DOP 1.9M
-22.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Dominican Republic
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.6 MX$1,535
$96.0 DOP 5,844
-12.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.03 MX$441
$24.88 DOP 1,515
-3.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.33 MX$539
$35.65 DOP 2,170
-17.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Dominican Republic
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.9 MX$1,191
$29.85 DOP 1,817
117.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.46 MX$541
$22.98 DOP 1,399
28.20%
Cinema Ticket
$5.09 MX$93.4
$6.83 DOP 416
-25.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Dominican Republic
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 MX$3,813
$210 DOP 12.8K
-1.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,045 MX$74.3K
$6,530 DOP 397.5K
-38.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Dominican Republic
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.55 MX$818
$40.66 DOP 2,475
9.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.06 MX$772
$45.18 DOP 2,750
-6.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.5 MX$1,387
$82.2 DOP 5,002
-8.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.4 MX$1,678
$106 DOP 6,446
-13.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Dominican Republic
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$986 MX$18.1K
$600 DOP 36.5K
64.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$385 MX$7,072
$332 DOP 20.2K
15.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,713 MX$31.5K
$1,253 DOP 76.3K
36.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,108 MX$20.4K
$637 DOP 38.7K
74.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,016 MX$73.7K
$2,198 DOP 133.8K
82.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,247 MX$114.7K
$1,136 DOP 69.1K
450.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Dominican Republic
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$758 MX$13.9K
$547 DOP 33.3K
38.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
12.99
-11.86%

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 the Dominican Republic: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$385
Dominican Republic
$332 13.8% $53
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$260
Dominican Republic
$227 12.9% $34
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$204
Dominican Republic
$142 30.4% $62
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Dominican Republic
$157 14.3% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$114
Dominican Republic
$123 8% $9.2
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$75
Dominican Republic
$44 42% $32
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Dominican Republic
$37 28.9% $15
Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
🕒 Local time
08:52 8:52 AM
09:52 9:52 AM
1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
10,760,028
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 60.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.21 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Dominican Republic 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Dominican Republic

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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