Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Freetown

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,778 in Freetown, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Freetown outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,778 in Freetown, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Freetown $1,778

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,510 in Freetown, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Freetown $1,510

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,242 in Freetown, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Freetown $1,242

Playa del Carmen is about 32% cheaper than Freetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Freetown is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$206

$2.06 SLL 47.0K

430.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$818

$39.83 SLL 909.5K

8.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$222

$11.04 SLL 252.0K

6.70%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.9

$2.79 SLL 63.6K

36.56%

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

$1.28 MX$24.19

$1.81 SLL 41.4K

-29.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.77

$0.89 SLL 20.3K

-12.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.7

$2.31 SLL 52.6K

37.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$93.1

$3.49 SLL 79.6K

41.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.53

$2.38 SLL 54.4K

-40.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.82

$0.63 SLL 14.4K

252.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.73

$1.26 SLL 28.8K

12.70%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.59

$1.85 SLL 42.3K

36.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$7.19 SLL 164.2K

0.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$9.97 SLL 227.6K

-22.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$5.35 SLL 122.2K

137.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.5

$6.80 SLL 155.3K

-59.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.81

$2.92 SLL 66.7K

-53.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$48.12

$0.68 SLL 15.6K

275.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$40.05

$4.92 SLL 112.2K

-56.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.56

$1.95 SLL 44.6K

-0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.58

$1.60 SLL 36.4K

18.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.63

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.24

$1.11 SLL 25.3K

6.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$81.0

$3.03 SLL 69.3K

41.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$188

$8.02 SLL 183.1K

24.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.87

$1.54 SLL 35.2K

2.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.4

$2.03 SLL 46.4K

31.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.44

$0.42 SLL 9,498

30.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$502

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.7

$0.48 SLL 10.9K

935.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.8

$0.48 SLL 11.0K

593.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.24

$1.35 SLL 30.8K

6.67%

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

$20.7K MX$389.8K

$11.8K SLL 268.8M

75.54%

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

$23.5K MX$442.6K

$25.1K SLL 572.4M

-6.39%

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

$84.8 MX$1,599

$59.2 SLL 1.4M

43.27%

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

$23.41 MX$442

$10.10 SLL 230.6K

131.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$541

$55.9 SLL 1.3M

-48.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,076

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$545

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.9

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

$207 MX$3,897

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$74.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$818

$10.09 SLL 230.4K

329.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$782

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,400

$20.05 SLL 457.8K

270.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,684

$50.9 SLL 1.2M

75.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.5K

$942 SLL 21.5M

4.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,184

$1,240 SLL 28.3M

-69.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.2K

$3,508 SLL 80.1M

-51.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$116.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.9K

$1,332 SLL 30.4M

-44.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Freetown: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Freetown

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Freetown

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Freetown

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Freetown

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Freetown

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Freetown

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Freetown

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $942 in Freetown. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 81% higher in Freetown. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $40 in Freetown. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $259 in Freetown – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇱 Freetown

🕒 Local time

00:41 12:41 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

951,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.3 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SLL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 18.86 MXN (100 MXN = 5.3 USD). 1 EUR = 21.02 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Sierra Leonean Leone exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 22,833 SLL (100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD). 1 EUR = 25,446 SLL (100,000 SLL = 3.93 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Freetown 8,000 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Freetown

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 Freetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,778 in Freetown – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 32% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,667 in Freetown. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $980 in Playa del Carmen and $942 in Freetown. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,778 in Freetown. That makes Playa del Carmen about 32% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $40 in Freetown. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Freetown at $1,778. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Freetown 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,778 in Freetown. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Freetown makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.