Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Gaborone

For one person, living is cheaper in Gaborone: $866 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Gaborone
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Gaborone Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Gaborone

🇧🇼 Botswana

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $866 in Gaborone.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Gaborone $866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,301 in Gaborone.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Gaborone $1,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,737 in Gaborone.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Gaborone $1,737

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 40% more expensive than in Gaborone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Gaborone 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$11.04 P 148

-0.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$29.11 P 390

54.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$5.87 P 78.6

103.07%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$2.37 P 31.70

60.34%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$0.71 P 9.45

84.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.44 P 5.87

95.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$1.98 P 26.47

62.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$2.56 P 34.24

95.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.47 P 19.66

-0.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$0.87 P 11.59

167.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$1.98 P 26.48

-27.27%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$2.54 P 34.06

-3.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$6.45 P 86.4

19.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$4.77 P 63.9

65.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$4.88 P 65.4

162.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$1.64 P 22.01

78.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.40 P 18.73

1.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$1.95 P 26.07

31.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$1.65 P 22.13

29.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.31 P 17.53

48.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.15 P 15.40

68.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.28 P 17.20

-10.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.93 P 12.50

31.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$3.71 P 49.75

18.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$4.39 P 58.8

124.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.43 P 19.23

7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$1.74 P 23.26

56.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$0.67 P 9.00

-22.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$30.16 P 404

-9.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$0.64 P 8.60

667.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$2.61 P 35.04

34.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$2.86 P 38.37

98.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.32 P 17.74

16.67%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$19.6K P 263.0K

8.21%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$19.9K P 266.4K

23.18%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$60.2 P 807

38.91%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$19.85 P 266

21.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$42.94 P 575

-31.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$34.16 P 458

89.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$16.03 P 215

83.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$5.98 P 80.1

-14.88%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$130 P 1,740

59.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$2,526 P 33.8K

60.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$48.16 P 645

-7.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$16.58 P 222

153.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$74.0 P 991

2.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$78.3 P 1,049

16.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$363 P 4,860

171.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$219 P 2,941

75.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$542 P 7,263

216.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$354 P 4,741

213.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$2,021 P 27.1K

98.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$1,252 P 16.8K

398.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$450 P 6,033

68.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.33

1.06%

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 Gaborone: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Gaborone

$219 25.5% 43% $166

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Gaborone

$174 20.2% 33.2% $86

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Gaborone

$154 17.9% 24.6% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Gaborone

$123 14.3% 10.2% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Gaborone

$98 11.4% 14.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Gaborone

$46 5.4% 38.6% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Gaborone

$47 5.4% 10.5% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $986 in Playa del Carmen and $363 in Gaborone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 68% 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: $45.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $29.00 in Gaborone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $174 per month, with Gaborone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇼 Gaborone

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

15:06 3:06 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

231,626 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

100 BWP = 7.46 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 13.4 BWP (100 BWP = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Gaborone 13,190 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Gaborone

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 Gaborone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gaborone is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 68% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $363 in Gaborone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Gaborone – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $866 in Gaborone versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gaborone but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Gaborone the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Gaborone is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Gaborone are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Gaborone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.