Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and French Polynesia

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,298 in French Polynesia, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
🇵🇫 French Polynesia
$2,298
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 30.4% cheaper than French Polynesia without rent, and 47.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 40.4% cheaper than French Polynesia without rent, and 34.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
French Polynesia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.97 MX$201
$16.98 CFPF 1,808
-35.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.85 MX$823
$75.6 CFPF 8,051
-40.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.92 MX$219
$14.22 CFPF 1,515
-16.17%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$69.9
$4.11 CFPF 438
-7.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.08
$2.68 CFPF 285
-51.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 MX$15.72
$2.49 CFPF 265
-65.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.21 MX$59.0
$4.79 CFPF 510
-32.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.01 MX$92.0
$5.62 CFPF 598
-10.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
French Polynesia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$26.77
$1.44 CFPF 153
1.39%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 MX$42.72
$4.32 CFPF 460
-46.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.48
$1.65 CFPF 175
-12.73%
Eggs
$2.46 MX$45.20
$6.75 CFPF 719
-63.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.70 MX$141
$35.71 CFPF 3,803
-78.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.89 MX$145
$15.36 CFPF 1,636
-48.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.80 MX$235
$24.04 CFPF 2,561
-46.76%
Apples (1kg)
$2.92 MX$53.6
$5.06 CFPF 538
-42.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.11
$2.80 CFPF 298
-49.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.57 MX$47.10
$6.41 CFPF 682
-59.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.24
$7.92 CFPF 844
-72.98%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.75
$3.09 CFPF 329
-36.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 MX$35.55
$2.47 CFPF 263
-21.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.13
$3.58 CFPF 381
-67.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.42
$1.21 CFPF 129
0.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 MX$80.3
$12.74 CFPF 1,356
-65.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.85 MX$181
$23.73 CFPF 2,527
-58.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.23
$2.89 CFPF 308
-46.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 MX$49.86
$3.68 CFPF 392
-26.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
French Polynesia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.64
$1.93 CFPF 206
-73.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.42 MX$503
$14.32 CFPF 1,525
91.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.91 MX$90.2
$9.27 CFPF 987
-47.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.52 MX$64.7
$2.40 CFPF 256
46.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.69 MX$104
$23.12 CFPF 2,462
-75.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 MX$28.27
$1.44 CFPF 153
6.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$389.9K
$18.2K CFPF 1.9M
16.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K MX$449.6K
$29.8K CFPF 3.2M
-17.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
French Polynesia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.6 MX$1,535
$176 CFPF 18.7K
-52.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.03 MX$441
$18.86 CFPF 2,008
27.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.33 MX$539
$70.0 CFPF 7,454
-58.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
French Polynesia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.9 MX$1,191
$73.7 CFPF 7,852
-12.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.46 MX$541
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.09 MX$93.4
$13.89 CFPF 1,480
-63.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
French Polynesia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 MX$3,813
$466 CFPF 49.6K
-55.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,045 MX$74.3K
$9,438 CFPF 1.0M
-57.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
French Polynesia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.55 MX$818
$69.8 CFPF 7,435
-36.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.06 MX$772
$73.1 CFPF 7,781
-42.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.5 MX$1,387
$79.4 CFPF 8,453
-4.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.4 MX$1,678
$88.5 CFPF 9,428
3.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
French Polynesia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$986 MX$18.1K
$1,237 CFPF 131.7K
-20.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$385 MX$7,072
$926 CFPF 98.6K
-58.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,713 MX$31.5K
$1,824 CFPF 194.3K
-6.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,108 MX$20.4K
$1,531 CFPF 163.1K
-27.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,016 MX$73.7K
$7,009 CFPF 746.4K
-42.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,247 MX$114.7K
$9,235 CFPF 983.5K
-32.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
French Polynesia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$758 MX$13.9K
$1,893 CFPF 201.6K
-59.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.6
148.91%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for French Polynesia: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$385
French Polynesia
$926 140% $541
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$260
French Polynesia
$567 118% $307
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$204
French Polynesia
$284 39.1% $80
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
French Polynesia
$264 93.1% $128
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$114
French Polynesia
$140 22.6% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$75
French Polynesia
$102 35.3% $26
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
French Polynesia
$43 16.8% $8.7
Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇵🇫 French Polynesia
🕒 Local time
08:05 8:05 AM
03:05 3:05 AM
5 h behind Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
278,786
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 107 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.39 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.38 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen French Polynesia 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • French Polynesia

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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