Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Iloilo

For one person, living is cheaper in Iloilo: $693 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Iloilo
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Iloilo Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Iloilo

🇵🇭 Philippines

$693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $693 in Iloilo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Iloilo $693

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,054 in Iloilo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Iloilo $1,054

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,416 in Iloilo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Iloilo $1,416

Playa del Carmen costs about 75% more than Iloilo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Iloilo are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Iloilo 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$2.83 ₱177

287.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$19.43 ₱1,219

130.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$3.15 ₱198

278.41%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$2.09 ₱131

81.82%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$0.65 ₱40.93

101.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.34 ₱21.39

152.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$1.06 ₱66.6

202.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$1.81 ₱113

176.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.69 ₱106

-13.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$1.20 ₱75.1

94.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$0.84 ₱52.9

71.43%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$2.06 ₱129

19.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$6.05 ₱379

27.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$4.04 ₱254

95.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$6.18 ₱388

107.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$3.32 ₱208

-12.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.04 ₱65.3

36.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$3.06 ₱192

-16.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$1.38 ₱86.4

55.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$2.39 ₱150

-18.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$2.71 ₱170

-28.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.47 ₱92.4

-21.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.81 ₱50.8

50.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$2.99 ₱188

46.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$6.19 ₱388

59.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.10 ₱68.8

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$1.26 ₱78.8

115.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$0.24 ₱15.09

116.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$4.59 ₱288

497.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$0.82 ₱51.4

498.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$0.34 ₱21.10

935.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$2.36 ₱148

141.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.16 ₱72.9

32.76%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

-2.46%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$19.5K ₱1.2M

25.35%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$64.5 ₱4,044

29.69%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$9.82 ₱616

144.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$27.65 ₱1,734

6.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$9.76 ₱612

564.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$4.70 ₱295

8.30%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$31.77 ₱1,993

553.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$23.50 ₱1,474

89.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$17.74 ₱1,113

137.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$55.5 ₱3,480

36.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$23.96 ₱1,503

281.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$308 ₱19.3K

219.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$246 ₱15.4K

56.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$1,184 ₱74.3K

44.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$436 ₱27.4K

154.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$3,633 ₱227.9K

10.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$1,055 ₱66.2K

492.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$206 ₱12.9K

268.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.33

56.21%

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 Iloilo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Iloilo

$246 35.8% 36.1% $139

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Iloilo

$188 27.3% 27.8% $72

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Iloilo

$70 10.2% 65.6% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Iloilo

$102 14.8% 25.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Iloilo

$54 7.9% 52.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Iloilo

$19 2.8% 74.5% $56

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Iloilo

$8.1 1.2% 84.5% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $308 in Iloilo. 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 268% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $19.00 in Iloilo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $188 – making Iloilo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Iloilo

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

22:22 10:22 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

457,626

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Iloilo 15,260 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Iloilo

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 Iloilo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,040 in Iloilo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iloilo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen and $19.00 in Iloilo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $693 in Iloilo. That's a gap of about 75%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Iloilo, where all-in costs run around $693, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,215. In Iloilo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iloilo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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