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: $1,287 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,176 in Flic en Flac.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,768 in Flic en Flac.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,360 in Flic en Flac.

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 4% lower, Flic en Flac 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 MX$208

$6.69 MUR 313

78.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$744

$48.94 MUR 2,288

-12.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 MX$184

$7.15 MUR 334

48.11%

Cappuccino

$3.62 MX$63.0

$2.58 MUR 120

40.31%

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

$1.47 MX$25.54

$1.02 MUR 47.74

44.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$16.41

$0.59 MUR 27.70

59.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 MX$53.8

$4.35 MUR 204

-28.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MX$77.6

$3.26 MUR 153

36.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$24.80

$1.43 MUR 66.9

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 MX$32.79

$0.71 MUR 33.00

164.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$28.34

$1.33 MUR 62.0

22.56%

Eggs

$2.64 MX$45.99

$2.11 MUR 98.6

25.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 MX$143

$10.94 MUR 511

-24.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 MX$144

$6.21 MUR 290

33.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 MX$193

$12.51 MUR 585

-11.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MX$46.14

$1.97 MUR 92.1

34.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$26.11

$1.95 MUR 90.9

-23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.59

$1.43 MUR 66.9

39.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 MX$36.13

$2.75 MUR 129

-24.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$31.11

$1.00 MUR 46.61

79.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 MX$37.87

$0.95 MUR 44.29

129.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MX$18.73

$0.84 MUR 39.43

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.04

$0.47 MUR 22.00

121.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 MX$69.1

$5.48 MUR 256

-27.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 MX$178

$8.78 MUR 411

16.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$30.04

$1.73 MUR 81.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 MX$43.46

$1.39 MUR 64.9

79.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.02

$0.90 MUR 42.14

-42.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.97 MX$469

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$54.7

$4.43 MUR 207

-29.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$41.80

$2.63 MUR 123

-8.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 MX$53.7

$11.04 MUR 516

-72.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$22.16

$1.47 MUR 68.6

-13.61%

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

$30.9K MX$537.3K

$35.9K MUR 1.7M

-13.88%

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

$23.3K MX$405.7K

$29.4K MUR 1.4M

-20.67%

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

$82.0 MX$1,427

$50.5 MUR 2,358

62.56%

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

$22.45 MX$391

$18.07 MUR 845

24.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.66 MX$516

$32.92 MUR 1,539

-9.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$903

$47.35 MUR 2,214

9.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.67 MX$325

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MX$86.5

$6.03 MUR 282

-17.58%

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

$198 MX$3,442

$109 MUR 5,104

81.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,273 MX$91.7K

$2,636 MUR 123.2K

100.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.34 MX$632

$33.64 MUR 1,573

8.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 MX$697

$33.30 MUR 1,557

20.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MX$1,390

$110 MUR 5,139

-27.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 MX$1,547

$94.6 MUR 4,421

-6.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.8K

$573 MUR 26.8K

68.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 MX$8,086

$499 MUR 23.3K

-6.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,596 MX$27.8K

$940 MUR 43.9K

69.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 MX$21.0K

$770 MUR 36.0K

56.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$68.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,448 MX$112.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$720 MX$12.5K

$456 MUR 21.3K

57.94%

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: April 25, 2026

Last update for Flic en Flac: April 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $963 in Playa del Carmen and $573 in Flic en Flac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 58% 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: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $49.00 in Flic en Flac. Groceries flip the comparison at $251 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.

Playa del Carmen pays 58% more on average, 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: $963 in Playa del Carmen versus $573 in Flic en Flac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $198 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 $49.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,176 in Flic en Flac versus $1,287 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 $1,176 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.