Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Emalahleni Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Emalahleni

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 8% more expensive than Emalahleni without rent, and 18.8% more expensive with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 16.2% cheaper than Emalahleni without rent, and 33.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Emalahleni
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$11.38 RΒ 202
5.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$44.8 RΒ 797
-5.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$4.91 RΒ 87.4
113.24%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.15 RΒ 38.23
67.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$1 RΒ 17.78
44.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.83 RΒ 14.7
7.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$2.63 RΒ 46.79
17.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$2.51 RΒ 44.59
82.47%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Emalahleni
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.18 RΒ 21
16.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$0.91 RΒ 16.1
103.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.63 RΒ 29.07
-3.68%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$1.98 RΒ 35.21
28.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$8.09 RΒ 144
6.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$4.2 RΒ 74.7
103.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$5.74 RΒ 102
91.29%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$1.44 RΒ 25.61
88.89%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.43 RΒ 25.5
5.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.44 RΒ 25.57
30.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.38 RΒ 24.54
58.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.49 RΒ 26.53
25.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$0.98 RΒ 17.44
123.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.08 RΒ 19.23
-0.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.88 RΒ 15.72
23.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$2.64 RΒ 47.03
50.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$5.77 RΒ 103
53.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.19 RΒ 21.24
44.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$1.58 RΒ 28.14
65.19%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Emalahleni
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$2.4 RΒ 42.65
-78.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$119 RΒ 2,117
-77.66%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$0.64 RΒ 11.4
406.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.88 RΒ 15.73
170.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$3.97 RΒ 70.6
-21.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.22 RΒ 21.72
7.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$22K RΒ 391.9K
37.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$23.6K RΒ 420.4K
1.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Emalahleni
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$110 RΒ 1,962
-23.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$40.54 RΒ 721
-45.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$42.94 RΒ 764
-29.81%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Emalahleni
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$33.89 RΒ 603
53.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$22.33 RΒ 397
-16.17%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$5.62 RΒ 100
-9.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Emalahleni
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$211 RΒ 3,751
-5.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$1,376 RΒ 24.5K
287.42%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Emalahleni
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$50.9 RΒ 905
-29.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$33.27 RΒ 592
19.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$89.9 RΒ 1,599
-12.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$78.1 RΒ 1,389
13.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Emalahleni
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$370 RΒ 6,588
160.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$247 RΒ 4,390
92.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$688 RΒ 12.2K
140.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$458 RΒ 8,137
162.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$267 RΒ 4,745
1054.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$144 RΒ 2,552
5146.48%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Emalahleni
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$1,589 RΒ 28.3K
-50.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
11.51
-0.78%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Emalahleni: October 28, 2025

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