Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Freeport

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,659 in Freeport, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Freeport
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Freeport Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Freeport

🇧🇸 Bahamas

$2,659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,659 in Freeport.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Freeport $2,659

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,307 in Freeport.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Freeport $4,307

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,955 in Freeport.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Freeport $5,955

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 55% less than in Freeport, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Freeport is 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$47.77 BSD 47.77

-77.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$98.9 BSD 98.9

-56.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$12.68 BSD 12.68

-7.10%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$6.54 BSD 6.54

-41.74%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$3.10 BSD 3.10

-58.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$2.80 BSD 2.80

-72.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$4.63 BSD 4.63

-31.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$6.95 BSD 6.95

-29.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.36 BSD 2.36

-40.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$5.52 BSD 5.52

-59.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$8.46 BSD 8.46

-83.22%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$8.86 BSD 8.86

-71.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$16.51 BSD 16.51

-56.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$6.86 BSD 6.86

12.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$13.91 BSD 13.91

-8.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$10.31 BSD 10.31

-73.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$4.08 BSD 4.08

-66.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$10.23 BSD 10.23

-75.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$12.85 BSD 12.85

-83.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$4.62 BSD 4.62

-58.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.53 BSD 2.53

-25.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$4.28 BSD 4.28

-73.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$3.32 BSD 3.32

-64.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$15.23 BSD 15.23

-71.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$20.33 BSD 20.33

-51.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$4.58 BSD 4.58

-41.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.77 BSD 1.77

-68.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$2.93 BSD 2.93

69.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$2.92 BSD 2.92

14.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$101 BSD 101

-94.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.60 BSD 1.60

-10.00%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$37.2K BSD 37.2K

-44.46%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$34.9K BSD 34.9K

-32.82%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$270 BSD 270

-68.57%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$64.0 BSD 64.0

-63.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$66.2 BSD 66.2

-56.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$55.4 BSD 55.4

3.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$56.1 BSD 56.1

-48.46%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$17.90 BSD 17.90

-71.28%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$587 BSD 587

-64.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$8,599 BSD 8,599

-54.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$49.43 BSD 49.43

-12.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$92.0 BSD 92.0

-19.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$69.7 BSD 69.7

28.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$985 BSD 985

-0.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$908 BSD 908

-58.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$2,202 BSD 2,202

-22.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,971 BSD 1,971

-45.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$4,206 BSD 4,206

-6.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$3,354 BSD 3,354

83.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,543 BSD 1,543

-52.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

12.72

-9.98%

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 Freeport: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Freeport

$908 34.2% 139% $527

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Freeport

$580 * 21.8% 128% $326

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Freeport

$559 21% 176% $357

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Freeport

$400 15% 192% $263

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Freeport

$95 * 3.6% 14.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Freeport

$91 3.4% 35.4% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Freeport

$25 * 0.9% 51.3% $26

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 $985 in Freeport. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Freeport pays about 2.1 times 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 in Playa del Carmen vs $99 in Freeport for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $580 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇸 Freeport

🕒 Local time

04:00 4:00 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

45,945

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Bahamian Dollar BSD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 BSD = 1 USD

1 BSD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BSD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Bahamian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1 BSD (1 BSD = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 BSD (1 BSD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Freeport 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Freeport

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 Freeport: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,659 in Freeport, so Playa del Carmen is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $985 in Freeport. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $587 in Freeport. 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 $99 in Freeport. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,659 in Freeport, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Freeport. 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.

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