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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,297 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,024 in Flacq.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,181 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,626 in Flacq.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,065 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,228 in Flacq.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 27% more expensive than Flacq, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 3% lower, Flacq 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.73 MX$203

$6.26 MUR 296

87.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.62 MX$720

$43.80 MUR 2,069

-4.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.64 MX$184

$6.78 MUR 320

56.93%

Cappuccino

$3.52 MX$60.9

$2.60 MUR 123

35.38%

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

$1.51 MX$26.12

$1.02 MUR 48.43

48.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 MX$16.84

$0.58 MUR 27.53

67.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 MX$51.0

$1.43 MUR 67.8

106.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 MX$77.0

$2.65 MUR 125

67.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$23.93

$1.51 MUR 71.2

-8.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 MX$32.72

$0.65 MUR 30.81

190.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MX$28.32

$1.32 MUR 62.3

24.24%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$43.34

$2.73 MUR 129

-8.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 MX$144

$9.70 MUR 458

-14.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 MX$144

$6.11 MUR 289

36.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.73 MX$186

$10.35 MUR 489

3.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 MX$45.04

$1.98 MUR 93.4

31.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MX$25.20

$1.93 MUR 91.3

-24.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 MX$32.87

$1.46 MUR 68.8

30.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 MX$35.91

$2.72 MUR 129

-23.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 MX$30.71

$1.03 MUR 48.55

72.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 MX$37.80

$0.95 MUR 44.89

130.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MX$17.99

$0.83 MUR 39.37

25.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$18.62

$0.57 MUR 27.11

89.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.08 MX$70.6

$6.06 MUR 286

-32.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.32 MX$178

$8.45 MUR 399

22.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 MX$29.61

$1.79 MUR 84.4

-4.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 MX$44.54

$2.13 MUR 100

21.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$8.81

$0.99 MUR 46.96

-48.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.46 MX$458

$33.63 MUR 1,589

-21.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 MX$56.4

$4.31 MUR 204

-24.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.49 MX$43.09

$2.73 MUR 129

-8.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 MX$56.2

$15.14 MUR 716

-78.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.61

$1.41 MUR 66.6

-7.09%

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

$30.3K MX$523.7K

$36.1K MUR 1.7M

-16.18%

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

$23.4K MX$405.3K

$29.3K MUR 1.4M

-19.92%

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

$82.9 MX$1,433

$50.4 MUR 2,379

64.59%

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

$22.22 MX$384

$18.19 MUR 859

22.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.34 MX$507

$32.29 MUR 1,526

-9.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 MX$893

$38.21 MUR 1,805

35.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.32 MX$317

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 MX$87.6

$6.13 MUR 290

-17.29%

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

$201 MX$3,473

$151 MUR 7,146

32.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,212 MX$90.1K

$3,889 MUR 183.8K

34.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.92 MX$639

$51.4 MUR 2,427

-28.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.79 MX$688

$43.41 MUR 2,051

-8.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.5 MX$1,357

$83.5 MUR 3,943

-5.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 MX$1,506

$78.9 MUR 3,728

10.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$973 MX$16.8K

$508 MUR 24.0K

91.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$468 MX$8,090

$353 MUR 16.7K

32.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 MX$28.4K

$953 MUR 45.1K

72.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 MX$21.1K

$710 MUR 33.5K

72.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,946 MX$68.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,498 MX$112.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 MX$11.5K

$1,139 MUR 53.8K

-41.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

6.25

82.72%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 2, 2026

Last update for Flacq: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $973 in Playa del Carmen and $508 in Flacq. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Flacq pays 72% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $44.00 in Flacq. Groceries flip the comparison at $249 vs $215, with Flacq cheaper for home cooking.

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 Flacq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Flacq wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Flacq the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Flacq earns 72% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $973 in Playa del Carmen versus $508 in Flacq. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $151 in Flacq. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,024 in Flacq versus $1,297 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Flacq but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Flacq the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Flacq delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,024 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Flacq hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Flacq are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Flacq gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.