Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Fiji

For one person, living is cheaper in Fiji: $694 a month against $1,203 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Fiji
Learn more

Fiji Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,203

/mo nomad

Fiji

🇫🇯 Fiji

$694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in Playa del Carmen versus $694 in Fiji.

Playa del Carmen $1,203
Fiji $694

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,084 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,135 in Fiji.

Playa del Carmen $2,084
Fiji $1,135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,965 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,576 in Fiji.

Playa del Carmen $2,965
Fiji $1,576

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 73% more expensive than in Fiji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Fiji 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.72 MX$198

$4.38 FJD 9.76

144.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.71 MX$790

$31.82 FJD 71.0

34.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 MX$219

$6.58 FJD 14.69

80.24%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.3

$2.50 FJD 5.57

52.00%

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

$1.29 MX$23.80

$1.40 FJD 3.11

-7.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.23

$1.04 FJD 2.31

-21.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 MX$56.8

$3.94 FJD 8.79

-22.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 MX$92.2

$4.04 FJD 9.01

23.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.53

$1.25 FJD 2.80

19.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 MX$41.85

$0.23 FJD 0.51

882.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 MX$25.83

$0.91 FJD 2.03

53.85%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$45.72

$3.07 FJD 6.84

-19.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.25 MX$134

$10.56 FJD 23.56

-31.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.09 MX$150

$5.18 FJD 11.55

56.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.87 MX$238

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 MX$53.5

$1.29 FJD 2.89

124.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.93 FJD 2.08

54.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 MX$48.27

$1.77 FJD 3.94

47.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 MX$39.41

$1.31 FJD 2.92

62.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.80

$0.68 FJD 1.52

192.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.03

$0.69 FJD 1.55

173.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.35

$0.86 FJD 1.92

33.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 MX$22.84

$0.50 FJD 1.13

146.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MX$82.3

$11.19 FJD 24.97

-60.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 MX$178

$6.05 FJD 13.51

58.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 MX$29.60

$3.90 FJD 8.71

-58.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 MX$49.63

$3.98 FJD 8.88

-32.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.46

$0.85 FJD 1.90

-32.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.54 MX$491

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 MX$88.6

$1.14 FJD 2.54

320.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.29 MX$60.9

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$99.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.08

$1.27 FJD 2.84

14.96%

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

$21.1K MX$390.0K

$46.6K FJD 104.0K

-54.78%

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

$23.4K MX$433.5K

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

$83.9 MX$1,552

$52.9 FJD 118

58.61%

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

$23.11 MX$428

$13.07 FJD 29.15

76.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.32 MX$524

$17.84 FJD 39.80

58.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 MX$975

$22.06 FJD 49.21

138.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.94 MX$572

$4.53 FJD 10.10

583.00%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$91.8

$4.02 FJD 8.96

23.38%

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

$203 MX$3,761

$44.13 FJD 98.5

360.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,245 MX$97.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.12 MX$816

$19.50 FJD 43.51

126.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.37 MX$765

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 MX$1,366

$29.42 FJD 65.6

150.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 MX$1,665

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$988 MX$18.3K

$673 FJD 1,502

46.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,074

$265 FJD 591

44.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 MX$30.8K

$1,105 FJD 2,464

50.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 MX$20.1K

$596 FJD 1,331

81.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$72.9K

$1,311 FJD 2,925

200.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,102 MX$112.9K

$1,303 FJD 2,906

368.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$907 MX$16.8K

$539 FJD 1,204

68.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

90.83%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 8, 2026

Last update for Fiji: November 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Fiji

$265 38.2% 30.7% $117

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.6%

Fiji

$167 * 24% 35.9% $93

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$201 16.7%

Fiji

$122 17.6% 39.1% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$135 11.3%

Fiji

$84 12.1% 38.1% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Fiji

$22 * 3.2% 80.4% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$63 5.2%

Fiji

$30 4.3% 51.9% $33

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Fiji

$4.6 * 0.7% 90.9% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $988 in Playa del Carmen and $673 in Fiji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 68% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $32 in Fiji for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $167 per month, with Fiji cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇫🇯 Fiji

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

08:28 8:28 AM

17 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

92,043

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 FJD = 0.448 USD

1 FJD = 0.399 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.5 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.76 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.23 FJD (1 FJD = 0.448 USD). 1 EUR = 2.5 FJD (1 FJD = 0.399 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Fiji 11,150 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Fiji

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 Fiji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fiji is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 68% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $988 in Playa del Carmen versus $673 in Fiji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,203 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $694 in Fiji – Fiji is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $694 in Fiji versus $1,203 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fiji but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Fiji the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Fiji wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.