Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Flic en Flac: $1,158 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $550 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Flic en Flac
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Flic en Flac Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Flic en Flac

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$1,158

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Flic en Flac

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Flic en Flac actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,158 in Flic en Flac.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Flic en Flac $1,158

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,863 in Flic en Flac.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Flic en Flac $1,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,568 in Flic en Flac.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Flic en Flac $2,568

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 4% more expensive than in Flic en Flac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Flic en Flac 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.94 MUR 277

83.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$54.0 MUR 2,517

-19.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.21 MUR 336

63.38%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$2.57 MUR 120

48.25%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.19 MUR 55.4

7.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.68 MUR 31.61

14.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$2.61 MUR 121

21.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$4.27 MUR 199

15.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.35 MUR 62.8

4.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$0.78 MUR 36.16

184.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.10 MUR 51.2

29.09%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$1.87 MUR 87.3

34.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$5.21 MUR 243

39.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.39 MUR 298

20.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$11.10 MUR 517

14.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$1.86 MUR 86.6

49.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$2.60 MUR 121

-47.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$1.40 MUR 65.4

82.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$2.94 MUR 137

-27.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$1.02 MUR 47.66

90.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$0.95 MUR 44.19

98.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$0.68 MUR 31.89

69.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.90 MUR 42.11

31.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$6.39 MUR 298

-32.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$8.53 MUR 397

16.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.64 MUR 76.5

-3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.34 MUR 109

14.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.61 MUR 28.56

-9.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$4.32 MUR 201

15.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$3.13 MUR 146

6.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$21.11 MUR 983

-74.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.41 MUR 65.9

2.13%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$36.2K MUR 1.7M

-42.94%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$30.8K MUR 1.4M

-23.88%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$44.90 MUR 2,092

88.84%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$10.71 MUR 499

118.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$29.59 MUR 1,378

-3.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$54.5 MUR 2,537

4.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$5.43 MUR 253

-5.34%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$128 MUR 5,944

61.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$7,849 MUR 365.6K

-49.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$79.3 MUR 3,695

-45.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$74.1 MUR 3,453

-44.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$122 MUR 5,676

-39.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$76.6 MUR 3,568

16.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$559 MUR 26.0K

75.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$490 MUR 22.8K

-22.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$1,013 MUR 47.2K

68.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$938 MUR 43.7K

14.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$661 MUR 30.8K

11.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

90.83%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Flic en Flac: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Flic en Flac

$490 42.3% 28.6% $109

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Flic en Flac

$208 17.9% 18.5% $47

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Flic en Flac

$129 11.2% 36.2% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Flic en Flac

$85 7.4% 37.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Flic en Flac

$158 13.7% 41.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Flic en Flac

$65 5.6% 3% $2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Flic en Flac

$22 * 1.9% 55.6% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $559 in Flic en Flac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 11% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $54 in Flic en Flac. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $208, with Flic en Flac cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇺 Flic en Flac

🕒 Local time

15:46 3:46 PM

00:46 12:46 AM

9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,010

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MUR = 2.15 USD

100 MUR = 1.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 52.21 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Flic en Flac 16,320 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Flic en Flac

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 4% 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.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $559 in Flic en Flac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $128 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 Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $54 in Flic en Flac. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Flic en Flac is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Flic en Flac delivers better value at $1,158 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Flic en Flac hard to pass up.

It comes down to priorities – Flic en Flac wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.