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: $1,266 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,174 in Flic en Flac.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,279 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,868 in Flic en Flac.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,292 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,563 in Flic en Flac.

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 7% lower, Flic en Flac 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.60 MX$199

$6.01 MUR 285

93.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.11 MX$809

$52.8 MUR 2,509

-10.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.88 MX$204

$7.48 MUR 355

58.82%

Cappuccino

$3.98 MX$68.2

$2.68 MUR 127

48.51%

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

$1.43 MX$24.49

$1.14 MUR 54.0

25.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$14.16

$0.63 MUR 29.88

30.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$54.7

$2.64 MUR 125

20.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 MX$117

$4.14 MUR 197

64.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MX$28.76

$1.42 MUR 67.3

18.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$37.71

$0.74 MUR 35.16

197.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$29.32

$1.16 MUR 55.0

47.41%

Eggs

$2.74 MX$47.05

$1.92 MUR 91.2

42.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 MX$164

$5.37 MUR 255

78.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.01 MX$155

$6.21 MUR 295

45.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 MX$220

$11.49 MUR 546

11.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 MX$49.58

$1.88 MUR 89.3

53.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$25.70

$2.68 MUR 127

-44.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 MX$36.87

$1.41 MUR 66.8

52.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$38.79

$2.91 MUR 138

-22.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 MX$34.00

$0.95 MUR 44.93

108.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.15

$1.03 MUR 48.86

93.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 MX$21.18

$0.71 MUR 33.52

73.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$20.54

$0.91 MUR 43.15

31.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.55 MX$78.1

$6.52 MUR 310

-30.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 MX$178

$8.64 MUR 410

20.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 MX$27.79

$1.70 MUR 80.9

-4.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$49.44

$2.28 MUR 108

26.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 MX$10.30

$0.63 MUR 29.73

-4.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.80 MX$494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$92.5

$4.13 MUR 196

30.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.73 MX$64.0

$3.11 MUR 148

19.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 MX$99.0

$21.56 MUR 1,024

-73.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$26.37

$1.35 MUR 64.1

14.07%

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

$22.5K MX$387.0K

$36.5K MUR 1.7M

-38.24%

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

$26.1K MX$447.3K

$31.4K MUR 1.5M

-16.90%

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

$91.4 MX$1,569

$44.88 MUR 2,132

103.61%

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

$25.20 MX$433

$10.74 MUR 510

134.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.24 MX$536

$29.11 MUR 1,383

7.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 MX$1,154

$54.9 MUR 2,607

22.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.11 MX$500

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 MX$83.5

$5.46 MUR 259

-10.99%

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

$224 MX$3,839

$126 MUR 5,971

77.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,229 MX$72.6K

$7,728 MUR 367.1K

-45.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.10 MX$808

$77.1 MUR 3,661

-38.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.29 MX$760

$75.4 MUR 3,580

-41.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 MX$1,375

$119 MUR 5,669

-32.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 MX$1,591

$78.4 MUR 3,724

18.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 MX$18.2K

$569 MUR 27.0K

86.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 MX$6,698

$502 MUR 23.9K

-22.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,149 MX$36.9K

$1,024 MUR 48.6K

109.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 MX$21.8K

$958 MUR 45.5K

32.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,001 MX$68.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,502 MX$111.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.0K

$699 MUR 33.2K

8.47%

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: September 12, 2026

Last update for Flic en Flac: September 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,063 in Playa del Carmen and $569 in Flic en Flac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 8% 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: $47.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $53.0 in Flic en Flac. Groceries flip the comparison at $276 vs $210, 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.

Average pay runs 8% 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: $1,063 in Playa del Carmen versus $569 in Flic en Flac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $224 in Playa del Carmen versus $126 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 $53.0 versus $47.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,174 in Flic en Flac versus $1,266 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 $1,174 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.