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: $1,271 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,179 in Flic en Flac.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,755 in Flic en Flac.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,332 in Flic en Flac.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 8% more expensive than Flic en Flac, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Flic en Flac 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.87 MX$204

$6.58 MUR 310

80.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.90 MX$736

$49.52 MUR 2,332

-13.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$183

$7.35 MUR 346

44.90%

Cappuccino

$3.45 MX$59.2

$2.66 MUR 125

29.70%

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

$1.50 MX$25.81

$1.03 MUR 48.39

45.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 MX$16.28

$0.56 MUR 26.23

69.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$51.9

$4.33 MUR 204

-30.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MX$79.1

$3.21 MUR 151

43.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$23.61

$1.44 MUR 67.9

-4.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 MX$31.70

$0.65 MUR 30.43

184.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.65

$1.28 MUR 60.4

25.78%

Eggs

$2.59 MX$44.51

$2.10 MUR 99.1

23.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 MX$142

$11.07 MUR 521

-25.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 MX$144

$6.15 MUR 290

36.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 MX$183

$12.75 MUR 601

-16.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 MX$45.12

$1.99 MUR 93.9

32.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.53

$1.95 MUR 91.7

-23.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 MX$32.94

$1.46 MUR 68.6

31.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$35.81

$2.65 MUR 125

-21.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$31.88

$0.99 MUR 46.52

87.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 MX$38.81

$1.00 MUR 47.08

126.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MX$18.23

$0.81 MUR 38.02

30.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.67

$0.51 MUR 24.21

113.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$71.2

$5.70 MUR 268

-27.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 MX$178

$8.59 MUR 405

20.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 MX$29.59

$1.78 MUR 83.9

-3.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$44.85

$1.39 MUR 65.5

87.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.30

$0.91 MUR 42.80

-40.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 MX$462

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$53.7

$4.39 MUR 207

-28.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 MX$43.09

$2.62 MUR 124

-4.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$54.1

$11.21 MUR 528

-71.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$21.88

$1.46 MUR 68.6

-13.01%

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

$30.4K MX$521.3K

$35.5K MUR 1.7M

-14.53%

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

$23.6K MX$404.5K

$28.4K MUR 1.3M

-16.94%

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

$83.0 MX$1,425

$50.4 MUR 2,372

64.75%

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

$22.71 MX$390

$18.08 MUR 851

25.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.46 MX$506

$33.40 MUR 1,573

-11.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 MX$875

$46.25 MUR 2,178

10.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 MX$315

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MX$84.5

$6.07 MUR 286

-18.78%

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

$197 MX$3,386

$109 MUR 5,120

81.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,280 MX$90.6K

$2,666 MUR 125.5K

98.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.90 MX$633

$33.36 MUR 1,571

10.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 MX$685

$32.37 MUR 1,524

23.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 MX$1,373

$109 MUR 5,139

-26.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 MX$1,536

$94.0 MUR 4,428

-4.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$16.4K

$575 MUR 27.1K

66.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,189

$506 MUR 23.8K

-5.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 MX$28.3K

$944 MUR 44.5K

74.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 MX$21.0K

$757 MUR 35.7K

61.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,918 MX$67.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,459 MX$110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 MX$11.4K

$697 MUR 32.8K

-4.28%

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: June 7, 2026

Last update for Flic en Flac: June 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Playa del Carmen and $575 in Flic en Flac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Flic en Flac pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $50.0 in Flic en Flac. Groceries flip the comparison at $250 vs $221, 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 8% 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, Flic en Flac earns 4% 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: $956 in Playa del Carmen versus $575 in Flic en Flac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $197 in Playa del Carmen versus $109 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,179 in Flic en Flac versus $1,271 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 $1,179 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 8% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.