Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Durbanville

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Durbanville: $1,204 and $1,153 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Durbanville
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Durbanville Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Durbanville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,153 in Durbanville, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Durbanville $1,153

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,834 in Durbanville, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Durbanville $1,834

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,516 in Durbanville, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Durbanville $2,516

Playa del Carmen costs about 4% more than Durbanville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and Durbanville are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Durbanville 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$12.29 R 205

-11.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$46.72 R 778

-7.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$6.00 R 100.0

96.33%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.46 R 41.00

54.88%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.94 R 15.71

36.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.63 R 10.55

23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.40 R 40.01

32.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.80 R 46.60

76.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.33 R 22.11

6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.23 R 20.42

80.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$2.16 R 36.04

-34.26%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$3.24 R 54.0

-22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$8.97 R 149

-19.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.85 R 114

12.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$9.69 R 161

30.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.91 R 31.79

45.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.92 R 32.07

-28.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.77 R 29.49

44.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$2.16 R 36.06

-1.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.55 R 25.76

25.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.49 R 24.81

26.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.30 R 21.69

-11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.15 R 19.21

2.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.58 R 59.6

20.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$5.95 R 99.1

67.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.41 R 23.49

12.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.19 R 36.53

21.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.54 R 25.60

-64.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.59 R 9.81

742.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.53 R 25.52

117.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$5.12 R 85.3

4.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.61 R 26.78

-10.56%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$35.5K R 591.6K

-41.79%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$34.4K R 572.5K

-31.69%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$116 R 1,931

-26.84%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$29.03 R 484

-19.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$40.89 R 681

-29.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$31.91 R 532

78.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$10.78 R 180

168.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$9.19 R 153

-44.07%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$266 R 4,435

-22.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$6,797 R 113.3K

-42.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$55.6 R 927

-22.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$32.11 R 535

29.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$120 R 2,000

-38.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$107 R 1,787

-16.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$390 R 6,506

150.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$364 R 6,073

4.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$735 R 12.2K

132.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$732 R 12.2K

46.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$866 R 14.4K

355.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$683 R 11.4K

801.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,033 R 17.2K

-28.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.97

4.38%

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 Durbanville: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Durbanville

$364 31.6% 4.3% $16

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Durbanville

$226 19.6% 11.2% $28

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Durbanville

$170 14.7% 16.1% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Durbanville

$186 16.1% 35.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Durbanville

$142 12.3% 26.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Durbanville

$50 4.4% 25.3% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Durbanville

$14 * 1.3% 71.5% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $390 in Durbanville. 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 41% higher in Durbanville, 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 $47 in Durbanville. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $226 in Durbanville – so Durbanville wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Durbanville

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

18:58 6:58 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

40,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Durbanville 12,680 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Durbanville

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 Durbanville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 4% more than Durbanville, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,729 in Durbanville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durbanville, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $390 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,153 in Durbanville. That’s a gap of about 4%.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $266 in Durbanville. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,153 in Durbanville. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,153 in Durbanville to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.