Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Imus

For one person, living is cheaper in Imus: $657 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Imus
Learn more

Imus Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Imus

🇵🇭 Philippines

$657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $657 in Imus, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Imus $657

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $978 in Imus, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Imus $978

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,299 in Imus, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Imus $1,299

Playa del Carmen costs about 83% more than Imus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Imus are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Imus 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$4.01 ₱252

170.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$16.46 ₱1,037

168.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$2.88 ₱181

308.33%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.88 ₱118

95.74%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.61 ₱38.33

119.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.33 ₱20.94

148.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.03 ₱64.7

197.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$1.64 ₱103

201.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.67 ₱105

-11.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.11 ₱69.9

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.01 ₱63.5

46.53%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.01 ₱126

23.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$5.11 ₱322

47.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$3.36 ₱212

136.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$7.91 ₱498

58.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.31 ₱145

20.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.59 ₱100

-10.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.42 ₱152

8.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.84 ₱116

16.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.69 ₱106

19.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.80 ₱113

10.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.65 ₱41.04

75.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.49 ₱30.78

144.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.04 ₱191

40.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$9.02 ₱568

11.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.09 ₱68.5

41.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.06 ₱130

29.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.24 ₱15.01

120.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$11.10 ₱699

147.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.79 ₱49.64

520.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.23 ₱14.51

1391.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$1.89 ₱119

184.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.20 ₱75.5

20.83%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

0.11%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

19.26%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$125 ₱7,863

-31.65%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$15.76 ₱992

48.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$23.73 ₱1,494

19.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$33.01 ₱2,078

88.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$4.61 ₱290

522.13%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$5.16 ₱325

-1.16%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$132 ₱8,307

52.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$9,101 ₱573.0K

-56.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$28.92 ₱1,821

53.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$19.90 ₱1,253

107.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$73.0 ₱4,593

-0.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$54.7 ₱3,441

63.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$118 ₱7,400

733.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$99.7 ₱6,275

273.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$201 ₱12.7K

735.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$169 ₱10.6K

549.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$2,374 ₱149.5K

66.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$978 ₱61.6K

527.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$174 ₱10.9K

324.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.75

69.63%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Imus: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Imus

$100 15.2% 73.3% $273

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Imus

$180 27.5% 30.2% $78

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Imus

$75 11.5% 62.4% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Imus

$164 25% 19.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Imus

$79 12.1% 28.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Imus

$43 6.6% 40.2% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Imus

$14 2.1% 72.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $118 in Imus. 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 324% 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $16.00 in Imus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $180 – making Imus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Imus

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

19:39 7:39 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

496,794

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Imus 15,060 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Imus

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 Imus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $657 in Imus – roughly 83% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $985 in Imus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 43% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $16.00 in Imus. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Imus, where all-in costs run around $657, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Imus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen 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 $657 in Imus to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Imus. 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.