Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Flic en Flac Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Flic en Flac

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,260 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,157 in Flic en Flac.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,125 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,774 in Flic en Flac.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,990 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,391 in Flic en Flac.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 9% more expensive than in Flic en Flac, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Flic en Flac 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.72 MX$203

$6.63 MUR 311

76.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.89 MX$725

$50.3 MUR 2,356

-16.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 MX$182

$7.31 MUR 342

43.78%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$62.0

$2.55 MUR 120

40.78%

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

$1.51 MX$26.10

$0.94 MUR 44.21

60.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 MX$15.83

$0.59 MUR 27.66

55.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 MX$51.2

$4.32 MUR 202

-31.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$76.3

$3.38 MUR 158

30.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$24.16

$1.43 MUR 67.0

-2.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 MX$32.60

$0.65 MUR 30.32

189.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 MX$26.97

$1.29 MUR 60.4

20.93%

Eggs

$2.61 MX$45.14

$2.11 MUR 98.8

23.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 MX$144

$11.13 MUR 521

-25.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 MX$145

$6.05 MUR 284

38.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 MX$188

$12.51 MUR 586

-13.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 MX$46.93

$1.97 MUR 92.4

37.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MX$26.04

$2.01 MUR 94.0

-24.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$32.41

$1.49 MUR 69.7

25.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$37.89

$2.76 MUR 129

-20.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$32.14

$1.04 MUR 48.65

78.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 MX$38.59

$0.99 MUR 46.21

125.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.48

$0.85 MUR 39.96

25.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.79

$0.47 MUR 22.05

131.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MX$72.4

$5.66 MUR 265

-25.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 MX$180

$8.61 MUR 404

21.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 MX$28.68

$1.81 MUR 84.7

-8.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$45.19

$1.40 MUR 65.6

86.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.37

$0.85 MUR 39.84

-36.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.16 MX$453

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 MX$53.3

$4.42 MUR 207

-30.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$41.61

$2.73 MUR 128

-12.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$54.1

$11.13 MUR 521

-71.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.69

$1.40 MUR 65.6

-6.43%

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

$29.8K MX$515.7K

$35.0K MUR 1.6M

-14.94%

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

$23.3K MX$403.5K

$29.4K MUR 1.4M

-20.54%

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

$81.3 MX$1,406

$49.01 MUR 2,296

65.84%

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

$22.56 MX$390

$18.16 MUR 851

24.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.05 MX$520

$33.60 MUR 1,574

-10.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 MX$915

$46.78 MUR 2,191

13.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.39 MX$318

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 MX$85.1

$5.91 MUR 277

-16.75%

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

$201 MX$3,474

$111 MUR 5,197

80.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,175 MX$89.5K

$2,671 MUR 125.1K

93.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.92 MX$622

$32.47 MUR 1,521

10.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.13 MX$694

$32.75 MUR 1,534

22.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 MX$1,379

$109 MUR 5,121

-27.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 MX$1,496

$93.9 MUR 4,397

-7.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$978 MX$16.9K

$593 MUR 27.8K

65.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 MX$8,140

$512 MUR 24.0K

-8.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,651 MX$28.6K

$964 MUR 45.1K

71.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 MX$20.8K

$757 MUR 35.5K

58.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,953 MX$68.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,607 MX$114.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$677 MX$11.7K

$677 MUR 31.7K

-0.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

90.33%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: July 27, 2026

Last update for Flic en Flac: July 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $978 in Playa del Carmen and $593 in Flic en Flac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Flic en Flac pays 0% 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 $50.0 in Flic en Flac. Groceries flip the comparison at $252 vs $220, with Flic en Flac 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 Flic en Flac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Flic en Flac wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Flic en Flac the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 0% lower in Flic en Flac. 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: $978 in Playa del Carmen versus $593 in Flic en Flac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $111 in Flic en Flac. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Flic en Flac – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $42.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,157 in Flic en Flac versus $1,260 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Flic en Flac but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Flic en Flac the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Flic en Flac delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,157 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Flic en Flac hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Flic en Flac 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 Flic en Flac gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.