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: $1,256 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,001 in Flacq.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,137 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,652 in Flacq.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,017 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,302 in Flacq.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 25% more expensive than in Flacq, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 6% lower, Flacq 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.99 MX$209

$6.17 MUR 290

94.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.78 MX$728

$44.36 MUR 2,083

-5.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 MX$187

$6.58 MUR 309

63.37%

Cappuccino

$3.50 MX$60.9

$2.67 MUR 126

31.09%

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

$1.45 MX$25.22

$0.94 MUR 44.18

54.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 MX$15.41

$0.59 MUR 27.70

49.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 MX$51.3

$1.39 MUR 65.1

112.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 MX$78.6

$2.77 MUR 130

62.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$24.94

$1.44 MUR 67.7

-0.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 MX$31.99

$0.65 MUR 30.69

183.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 MX$27.31

$1.34 MUR 62.8

17.16%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$43.74

$2.66 MUR 125

-5.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 MX$144

$10.04 MUR 472

-17.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 MX$147

$6.08 MUR 285

38.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.68 MX$186

$10.51 MUR 494

1.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$45.43

$1.98 MUR 93.0

31.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$25.04

$1.89 MUR 88.9

-23.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 MX$34.16

$1.51 MUR 70.8

29.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$36.47

$2.65 MUR 125

-21.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$32.24

$0.97 MUR 45.58

90.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 MX$37.74

$1.00 MUR 47.10

117.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 MX$17.96

$0.81 MUR 37.85

27.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$18.70

$0.57 MUR 26.86

87.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 MX$71.4

$5.94 MUR 279

-30.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 MX$177

$9.71 MUR 456

4.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 MX$29.17

$1.75 MUR 82.1

-4.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 MX$43.98

$2.16 MUR 101

17.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$8.87

$1.00 MUR 47.10

-49.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.04 MX$453

$32.44 MUR 1,524

-19.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 MX$56.3

$4.39 MUR 206

-26.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 MX$41.88

$2.62 MUR 123

-8.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 MX$56.2

$15.70 MUR 737

-79.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 MX$23.00

$1.45 MUR 68.0

-8.97%

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

$29.7K MX$517.1K

$35.7K MUR 1.7M

-16.76%

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

$23.7K MX$412.0K

$29.3K MUR 1.4M

-19.12%

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

$82.0 MX$1,428

$50.3 MUR 2,362

63.11%

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

$22.95 MX$400

$18.32 MUR 861

25.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.11 MX$524

$32.73 MUR 1,537

-8.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 MX$905

$38.87 MUR 1,826

33.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.53 MX$323

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 MX$86.6

$5.99 MUR 281

-16.86%

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

$197 MX$3,438

$151 MUR 7,114

30.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,336 MX$92.9K

$3,973 MUR 186.6K

34.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.60 MX$620

$49.84 MUR 2,341

-28.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.33 MX$702

$44.79 MUR 2,104

-9.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 MX$1,371

$83.6 MUR 3,928

-5.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 MX$1,549

$77.8 MUR 3,653

14.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 MX$16.5K

$522 MUR 24.5K

81.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 MX$8,254

$346 MUR 16.2K

37.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,644 MX$28.6K

$953 MUR 44.8K

72.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 MX$21.1K

$716 MUR 33.6K

69.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,056 MX$70.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,470 MX$112.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$654 MX$11.4K

$1,110 MUR 52.1K

-41.07%

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: July 13, 2026

Last update for Flacq: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $947 in Playa del Carmen and $522 in Flacq. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Flacq pays 70% 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 $217, 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 25% 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, salaries run 70% lower in Flacq. 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: $947 in Playa del Carmen versus $522 in Flacq. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $197 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 15% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,001 in Flacq versus $1,256 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 $1,001 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 25% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.