Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Grand Bay Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Grand Bay

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,330 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,199 in Grand Bay.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,336 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,326 in Grand Bay.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,341 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,454 in Grand Bay.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 11% more expensive than in Grand Bay, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 3% lower, Grand Bay 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.02 MX$221

$6.37 MUR 296

104.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.25 MX$784

$64.7 MUR 3,009

-28.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.59 MX$213

$7.38 MUR 343

70.60%

Cappuccino

$4.00 MX$67.9

$2.73 MUR 127

46.52%

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

$1.42 MX$24.08

$1.06 MUR 49.30

33.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 MX$13.73

$0.59 MUR 27.25

37.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 MX$51.7

$3.17 MUR 147

-3.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.82 MX$116

$4.82 MUR 224

41.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 MX$29.04

$1.33 MUR 62.0

28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$37.62

$0.77 MUR 35.96

188.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MX$29.13

$1.17 MUR 54.5

47.01%

Eggs

$2.71 MX$45.99

$2.52 MUR 117

7.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.37 MX$159

$20.83 MUR 968

-55.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 MX$150

$8.97 MUR 417

-1.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 MX$217

$21.18 MUR 984

-39.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 MX$53.0

$1.91 MUR 88.7

63.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 MX$26.24

$2.13 MUR 99.2

-27.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 MX$36.51

$1.44 MUR 67.0

49.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.35 MX$39.89

$2.86 MUR 133

-17.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$34.23

$0.95 MUR 44.03

112.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$33.67

$0.93 MUR 43.46

113.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 MX$21.09

$0.75 MUR 35.01

65.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$20.21

$0.61 MUR 28.51

95.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.65 MX$78.8

$6.66 MUR 310

-30.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.47 MX$177

$8.37 MUR 389

25.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$26.82

$1.71 MUR 79.3

-7.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 MX$49.48

$2.08 MUR 96.7

40.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$9.53

$1.01 MUR 46.94

-44.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 MX$504

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.32 MX$90.2

$4.21 MUR 196

26.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.72 MX$63.0

$2.47 MUR 115

50.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 MX$97.9

$21.15 MUR 983

-72.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$26.27

$1.33 MUR 61.9

16.54%

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

$22.4K MX$379.1K

$35.0K MUR 1.6M

-36.02%

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

$25.6K MX$433.3K

$36.6K MUR 1.7M

-30.05%

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

$89.3 MX$1,513

$45.30 MUR 2,106

97.09%

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

$23.30 MX$395

$16.09 MUR 748

44.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.72 MX$538

$29.60 MUR 1,376

7.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 MX$1,165

$58.3 MUR 2,708

18.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.40 MX$498

Cinema Ticket

$5.06 MX$85.7

$6.51 MUR 303

-22.27%

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

$222 MX$3,765

$130 MUR 6,057

70.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,293 MX$72.7K

$7,661 MUR 356.2K

-43.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.21 MX$783

$59.6 MUR 2,769

-22.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.43 MX$753

$64.9 MUR 3,018

-31.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 MX$1,618

$106 MUR 4,949

-10.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 MX$1,568

$88.8 MUR 4,126

4.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,069 MX$18.1K

$609 MUR 28.3K

75.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 MX$6,663

$453 MUR 21.1K

-13.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,988 MX$33.7K

$2,052 MUR 95.4K

-3.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 MX$22.1K

$1,467 MUR 68.2K

-11.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,037 MX$68.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,627 MX$112.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$747 MX$12.7K

$1,300 MUR 60.4K

-42.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

93.33%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: August 18, 2026

Last update for Grand Bay: August 16, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,069 in Playa del Carmen and $609 in Grand Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Grand Bay pays 74% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $65.0 in Grand Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $294 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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 Grand Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grand Bay is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 74% lower in Grand Bay. 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: $1,069 in Playa del Carmen versus $609 in Grand Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Playa del Carmen versus $130 in Grand Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Grand Bay – a meal for two runs $65.0 versus $46.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,199 in Grand Bay versus $1,330 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Grand Bay but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Grand Bay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Grand Bay 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 Grand Bay 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 Grand Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.