Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Fort Portal

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort Portal: $364 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Fort Portal
Learn more

Fort Portal Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Fort Portal

🇺🇬 Uganda

$364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Fort Portal

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $364 in Fort Portal, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Fort Portal $364

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $574 in Fort Portal, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Fort Portal $574

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $783 in Fort Portal, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Fort Portal $783

Playa del Carmen costs about 230% more than Fort Portal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Fort Portal are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Fort Portal 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$2.37 UGX 9,990

350.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$23.66 UGX 99.8K

85.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$6.93 UGX 29.2K

70.13%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.46 UGX 10.4K

54.07%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.37 UGX 1,545

251.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.24 UGX 1,004

245.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.20 UGX 5,049

162.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.72 UGX 7,235

186.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.27 UGX 1,126

422.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.68 UGX 2,850

223.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.90 UGX 3,795

63.33%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.15 UGX 4,835

117.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$4.12 UGX 17.4K

76.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.14 UGX 17.5K

92.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$3.12 UGX 13.2K

312.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.96 UGX 8,246

47.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$0.71 UGX 2,996

94.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.20 UGX 5,052

107.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.13 UGX 4,786

79.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.20 UGX 5,075

68.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.57 UGX 2,386

233.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.73 UGX 3,081

56.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.49 UGX 2,046

153.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.30 UGX 9,700

85.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$4.57 UGX 19.3K

114.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$0.68 UGX 2,848

133.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$0.93 UGX 3,914

195.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.49 UGX 2,065

871.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.28 UGX 1,165

1060.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$2.89 UGX 12.2K

86.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.16 UGX 4,905

31.90%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$6,927 UGX 29.2M

206.25%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$6,921 UGX 29.2M

236.14%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$66.9 UGX 282.2K

24.78%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$11.00 UGX 46.4K

110.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$32.84 UGX 138.5K

-15.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.16 UGX 30.2K

-30.17%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$267 UGX 1.1M

-22.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$16.1K UGX 67.9M

-67.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$13.23 UGX 55.8K

228.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$12.29 UGX 51.8K

246.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$30.84 UGX 130.1K

135.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$40.94 UGX 172.7K

115.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

20.75

-44.82%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Fort Portal: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Fort Portal

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Fort Portal

$112 30.9% 56.3% $145

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Fort Portal

$81 22.3% 59.5% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Fort Portal

$111 30.4% 17.5% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Fort Portal

$44 12% 60.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Fort Portal

$14 * 3.9% 78.4% $52

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Fort Portal

$1.9 * 0.5% 96.3% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $24 in Fort Portal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $112 – making Fort Portal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇬 Fort Portal

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

13:42 1:42 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

54,275

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4,217 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD). 1 EUR = 4,739 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Fort Portal 12,810 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Fort Portal

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 Fort Portal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 230% more than Fort Portal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $546 in Fort Portal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $24 in Fort Portal. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 129% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Fort Portal, where all-in costs run around $364, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Fort Portal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $364 in Fort Portal to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.