Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Island Garden City of Samal Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Island Garden City of Samal

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 73.2% more expensive than Island Garden City of Samal without rent, and 75.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 63.5% more expensive than Island Garden City of Samal without rent, and 110.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 MX$210

$1.35 ₱80.2

780.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.90 MX$740

$12.62 ₱750

232.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 MX$186

$4.64 ₱276

127.37%

Cappuccino

$3.60 MX$63.5

$2.13 ₱126

69.01%

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

$1.50 MX$26.45

$0.86 ₱51.1

74.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$16.09

$0.50 ₱29.50

82.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$54.4

$1.45 ₱86.4

112.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MX$78.8

$1.75 ₱104

155.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$24.54

$1.20 ₱71.6

15.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 MX$33.47

$0.59 ₱35.18

222.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MX$28.27

$0.69 ₱40.91

131.88%

Eggs

$2.60 MX$45.97

$2.01 ₱120

29.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 MX$148

$5.98 ₱355

39.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.64 MX$152

$3.23 ₱192

167.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 MX$192

$5.20 ₱309

109.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$45.98

$2.85 ₱169

-8.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$25.46

$1.13 ₱67.1

27.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 MX$34.55

$2.33 ₱139

-15.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$37.34

$1.27 ₱75.8

66.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$32.87

$2.20 ₱131

-15.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 MX$39.20

$1.62 ₱96.0

37.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$17.99

$0.93 ₱55.3

9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.36

$0.46 ₱27.19

126.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 MX$71.5

$2.68 ₱159

51.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 MX$180

$5.91 ₱351

72.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MX$29.79

$1.28 ₱76.2

32.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MX$46.25

$1.21 ₱71.9

116.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.09

$0.28 ₱16.73

82.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.52 MX$468

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$55.7

$0.74 ₱43.96

325.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 MX$43.49

$0.08 ₱4.75

2975.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 MX$57.5

$2.10 ₱125

55.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 MX$23.36

$1.09 ₱64.9

21.10%

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

$30.1K MX$531.0K

$21.8K ₱1.3M

37.94%

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

$23.8K MX$419.3K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

12.29%

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

$83.5 MX$1,474

$102 ₱6,034

-17.72%

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

$22.86 MX$404

$33.24 ₱1,975

-31.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.04 MX$530

$36.03 ₱2,142

-16.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$916

$33.73 ₱2,005

53.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 MX$323

$4.56 ₱271

301.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 MX$90.4

$4.31 ₱256

18.79%

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

$201 MX$3,541

$121 ₱7,185

65.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,318 MX$93.9K

$4,342 ₱258.1K

22.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.73 MX$631

$46.18 ₱2,745

-22.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 MX$711

$30.19 ₱1,794

33.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 MX$1,398

$76.8 ₱4,565

3.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,576

$67.7 ₱4,020

31.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 MX$16.7K

$264 ₱15.7K

258.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MX$8,525

$176 ₱10.5K

174.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 MX$28.2K

$598 ₱35.6K

167.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 MX$21.4K

$398 ₱23.6K

204.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,996 MX$70.5K

$2,310 ₱137.3K

73.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,402 MX$113.0K

$762 ₱45.3K

740.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$730 MX$12.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

9.56

19.46%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

Last update for Island Garden City of Samal: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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