Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Isa Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Isa Town: $747 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Isa Town

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$747

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Isa Town

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $747 in Isa Town, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Isa Town $747

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,771 in Isa Town, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Isa Town $1,771

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,794 in Isa Town, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Isa Town $2,794

Playa del Carmen costs about 61% more than Isa Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Isa Town are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Isa Town 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$8.00 BHD 3.02

35.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$26.34 BHD 9.94

67.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$6.48 BHD 2.45

81.48%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$4.59 BHD 1.73

-19.83%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.90 BHD 0.34

48.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.27 BHD 0.10

203.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$6.63 BHD 2.50

-53.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.36 BHD 0.51

8.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.35 BHD 0.51

64.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$5.19 BHD 1.96

-71.48%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$3.16 BHD 1.19

-21.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$10.39 BHD 3.92

-27.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$8.00 BHD 3.02

-0.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$21.52 BHD 8.12

-41.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.68 BHD 1.01

3.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.71 BHD 1.02

-47.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.58 BHD 0.97

1.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.60 BHD 0.98

-17.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.69 BHD 1.01

-24.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.57 BHD 0.59

26.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.55 BHD 0.21

107.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.08 BHD 0.41

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.03 BHD 0.39

-48.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$13.28 BHD 5.01

107.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$5.38 BHD 2.03

-8.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.76 BHD 0.29

90.79%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$13.3K BHD 5,002

73.66%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

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

$23.46 MX$434

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$39.36 BHD 14.86

-27.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$105 BHD 39.50

-40.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$10.53 BHD 3.97

-51.57%

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

$201 MX$3,715

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$8,078 BHD 3,049

-51.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$39.42 BHD 14.88

12.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$13.07 BHD 4.93

216.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$79.2 BHD 29.89

-8.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$107 BHD 40.37

-16.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,308 BHD 493

28.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,067 BHD 403

2.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$1,078 BHD 407

-31.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Isa Town: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Isa Town

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Isa Town

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Isa Town

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Isa Town

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Isa Town

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Isa Town

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Isa Town

–

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 46% higher in Isa Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $26.00 in Isa Town. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $276 in Isa Town – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇭 Isa Town

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

07:57 7:57 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

36,876

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.424 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Isa Town 13,090 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Isa Town

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 Isa Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,121 in Isa Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $747 in Isa Town. That's a gap of about 61%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $26.00 in Isa Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Isa Town, where all-in costs run around $747, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Isa Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Isa Town – 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 Isa Town. 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.