Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Forbes

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,543 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Forbes

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 Forbes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,543 in Forbes.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Forbes $2,543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,751 in Forbes.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Forbes $3,751

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,958 in Forbes.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Forbes $4,958

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 53% less than in Forbes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Forbes is 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$15.91 A$22.54

-31.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$94.9 A$134

-54.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$11.31 A$16.02

4.16%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.52 A$4.99

8.24%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$2.99 A$4.23

-57.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$2.37 A$3.36

-67.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$6.98 A$9.89

-54.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$7.40 A$10.49

-33.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.69 A$2.40

-16.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$2.42 A$3.43

-8.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$2.14 A$3.03

-33.64%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$5.00 A$7.08

-49.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$10.16 A$14.40

-28.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$9.52 A$13.49

-19.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$13.72 A$19.43

-7.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.78 A$5.35

-26.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$3.01 A$4.26

-54.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$3.55 A$5.04

-28.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$4.92 A$6.97

-56.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$2.50 A$3.54

-22.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$2.55 A$3.62

-25.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$2.28 A$3.23

-49.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.45 A$2.06

-18.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$46.43 A$65.8

-90.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$12.36 A$17.51

-19.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$4.75 A$6.73

-66.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$5.80 A$8.21

-53.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$2.66 A$3.76

-79.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$78.5 A$111

-66.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.70 A$5.25

34.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.72 A$2.44

93.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$45.70 A$64.7

-88.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.25 A$1.78

15.20%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$33.8K A$47.9K

-38.90%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$28.1K A$39.9K

-16.63%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$195 A$276

-56.50%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$23.66 A$33.52

-1.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$53.4 A$75.6

-46.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$59.1 A$83.7

-3.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$19.72 A$27.93

46.60%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$12.05 A$17.07

-57.34%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$2,301 A$3,259

-91.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$21.3K A$30.2K

-81.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$80.6 A$114

-46.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$56.7 A$80.4

-26.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$117 A$165

-36.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$124 A$175

-27.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$1,558 A$2,207

-37.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$1,278 A$1,810

-70.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$2,463 A$3,488

-30.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$2,041 A$2,892

-47.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$5,228 A$7,405

-24.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$5,146 A$7,290

19.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.9

94.07%

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 Forbes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3% 236% $897

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Forbes

$364 14.3% 42.8% $109

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Forbes

$275 10.8% 35.7% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Forbes

$272 10.7% 98.7% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Forbes

$170 6.7% 52.2% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Forbes

$83 3.3% 23.6% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Forbes

$101 4% 101% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,558 in Forbes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $95 in Forbes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $364 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇺 Forbes

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

19:20 7:20 PM

16 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

8,481

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.633 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Forbes 14,450 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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Forbes

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 Forbes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,543 in Forbes, so Playa del Carmen is about 53% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $3,814 in Forbes to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,558 in Forbes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,543 in Forbes – Playa del Carmen is about 53% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 66% less than in Forbes. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,543 in Forbes, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Forbes. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Forbes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.