Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Douala

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,334 in Douala, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Douala
Learn more

Douala Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Douala

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,334 in Douala, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Douala $1,334

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,160 in Douala, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Douala $2,160

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,985 in Douala, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Douala $2,985

Playa del Carmen is about 10% cheaper than Douala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Playa del Carmen and Douala are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Douala 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$4.37 FCFA 2,558

149.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$122 FCFA 71.1K

-64.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.93 FCFA 4,053

69.99%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$2.13 FCFA 1,246

78.87%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.64 FCFA 960

-21.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.76 FCFA 445

2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$1.20 FCFA 704

164.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$2.61 FCFA 1,528

88.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$2.90 FCFA 1,698

-51.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$0.41 FCFA 238

441.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$2.18 FCFA 1,277

-34.86%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$1.85 FCFA 1,082

36.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$22.34 FCFA 13.1K

-67.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$7.87 FCFA 4,604

-2.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$6.18 FCFA 3,614

105.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$4.60 FCFA 2,692

-39.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$2.03 FCFA 1,185

-32.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$2.08 FCFA 1,215

22.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$1.38 FCFA 809

53.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$3.18 FCFA 1,860

-38.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$2.15 FCFA 1,260

-12.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$0.76 FCFA 443

51.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.67 FCFA 391

76.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$2.53 FCFA 1,478

69.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$8.59 FCFA 5,024

15.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.40 FCFA 821

12.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.78 FCFA 1,041

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.66 FCFA 388

-16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$17.06 FCFA 9,978

56.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$0.58 FCFA 338

756.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$0.81 FCFA 476

311.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$8.33 FCFA 4,871

-35.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.41 FCFA 824

2.13%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$29.4K FCFA 17.2M

-29.81%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$15.6K FCFA 9.1M

50.25%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$162 FCFA 94.9K

-47.72%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$25.14 FCFA 14.7K

-6.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$178 FCFA 103.9K

-83.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$41.23 FCFA 24.1K

38.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$8.77 FCFA 5,129

-41.39%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$505 FCFA 295.5K

-59.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$3,387 FCFA 2.0M

15.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$80.1 FCFA 46.8K

-45.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$68.1 FCFA 39.8K

-39.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$136 FCFA 79.6K

-45.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$147 FCFA 86.0K

-39.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$567 FCFA 331.9K

72.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$313 FCFA 183.0K

21.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$1,338 FCFA 782.7K

27.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$542 FCFA 316.9K

98.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$1,976 FCFA 1.2M

99.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$952 FCFA 556.8K

546.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$222 FCFA 129.6K

231.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

19.04

-39.86%

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 Douala: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Douala

$313 23.4% 17.9% $68

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Douala

$277 20.8% 8.8% $22

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Douala

$102 7.7% 49.5% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Douala

$365 27.4% 167% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Douala

$194 14.5% 73.7% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Douala

$59 4.4% 12.7% $8.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Douala

$24 1.8% 51.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $567 in Douala. 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 3.3 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $122 in Douala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $277 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇲 Douala

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

18:29 6:29 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,000,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 653 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Douala 10,550 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Douala

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 Douala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Douala is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,001 in Douala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Douala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $567 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Douala, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $122 in Douala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,334 in Douala, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,334 in Douala. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.