Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Island Garden City of Samal: $870 a month against $1,203 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Island Garden City of Samal
Learn more

Island Garden City of Samal Living Index

Jump to prices

Island Garden City of Samal, Philippines

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,203

/mo nomad

Island Garden City of Samal

🇵🇭 Philippines

$870

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Island Garden City of Samal

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 Island Garden City of Samal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,203 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $870 in Island Garden City of Samal, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,203
Island Garden City of Samal $870

A couple spends around $2,084 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,307 in Island Garden City of Samal, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,084
Island Garden City of Samal $1,307

A family of three spends $2,965 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,744 in Island Garden City of Samal, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,965
Island Garden City of Samal $1,744

Playa del Carmen costs about 38% more than Island Garden City of Samal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Island Garden City of Samal are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Island Garden City of Samal 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.72 MX$198

$5.54 ₱348

93.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.71 MX$790

$20.51 ₱1,290

108.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 MX$219

$3.89 ₱245

204.88%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.3

$2.24 ₱141

69.64%

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

$1.29 MX$23.80

$1.02 ₱64.3

26.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.23

$0.60 ₱37.77

36.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 MX$56.8

$1.43 ₱89.9

114.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 MX$92.2

$2.17 ₱136

129.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.53

$2.07 ₱130

-28.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 MX$41.85

$1.15 ₱72.2

96.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 MX$25.83

$0.90 ₱56.8

55.56%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$45.72

$2.03 ₱128

21.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.25 MX$134

$6.82 ₱428

6.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.09 MX$150

$5.13 ₱322

57.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.87 MX$238

$7.22 ₱454

78.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 MX$53.5

$2.47 ₱155

17.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.24 ₱78.2

16.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 MX$48.27

$2.44 ₱153

6.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 MX$39.41

$1.29 ₱80.9

65.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.80

$2.11 ₱133

-5.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.03

$1.53 ₱96.1

23.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.35

$0.89 ₱55.7

29.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 MX$22.84

$0.72 ₱45.15

70.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MX$82.3

$2.52 ₱158

76.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 MX$178

$5.78 ₱363

66.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 MX$29.60

$1.24 ₱78.3

29.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 MX$49.63

$1.56 ₱97.8

71.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.46

$0.24 ₱14.89

137.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.54 MX$491

$13.93 ₱876

90.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 MX$88.6

$0.80 ₱50.1

498.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.29 MX$60.9

$0.22 ₱13.83

1395.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$99.7

$1.86 ₱117

189.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.08

$1.23 ₱77.5

18.70%

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

$21.1K MX$390.0K

$21.5K ₱1.4M

-2.05%

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

$23.4K MX$433.5K

$19.5K ₱1.2M

20.12%

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

$83.9 MX$1,552

$106 ₱6,670

-20.90%

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

$23.11 MX$428

$18.77 ₱1,180

23.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.32 MX$524

$30.91 ₱1,943

-8.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 MX$975

$33.70 ₱2,119

56.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.94 MX$572

$8.97 ₱564

244.93%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$91.8

$4.65 ₱292

6.67%

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

$203 MX$3,761

$23.69 ₱1,489

758.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,245 MX$97.0K

$7,917 ₱497.7K

-33.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.12 MX$816

$51.5 ₱3,240

-14.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.37 MX$765

$27.65 ₱1,738

49.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 MX$1,366

$78.1 ₱4,908

-5.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 MX$1,665

$49.71 ₱3,125

81.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$988 MX$18.3K

$366 ₱23.0K

169.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,074

$270 ₱17.0K

41.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 MX$30.8K

$921 ₱57.9K

81.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 MX$20.1K

$483 ₱30.4K

124.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$72.9K

$3,913 ₱246.0K

0.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,102 MX$112.9K

$2,081 ₱130.8K

193.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$907 MX$16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.75

47.74%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 8, 2026

Last update for Island Garden City of Samal: November 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Island Garden City of Samal

$270 31.1% 29.4% $112

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.6%

Island Garden City of Samal

$190 21.9% 26.8% $70

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$201 16.7%

Island Garden City of Samal

$101 11.6% 49.8% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$135 11.3%

Island Garden City of Samal

$156 17.9% 15.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Island Garden City of Samal

$93 10.7% 17% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$63 5.2%

Island Garden City of Samal

$43 4.9% 31.3% $20

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Island Garden City of Samal

$17 1.9% 66.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $988 in Playa del Carmen versus $366 in Island Garden City of Samal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $21 in Island Garden City of Samal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $190 – making Island Garden City of Samal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Island Garden City of Samal

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

04:38 4:38 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

116,771

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.5 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.76 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.87 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Island Garden City of Samal 15,290 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Island Garden City of Samal

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 Island Garden City of Samal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 38% more than Island Garden City of Samal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,805 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,305 in Island Garden City of Samal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Island Garden City of Samal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $366 there versus $988 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,203 in Playa del Carmen and $870 in Island Garden City of Samal. That makes Island Garden City of Samal about 28% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Island Garden City of Samal. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,203 in Playa del Carmen and $870 in Island Garden City of Samal. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Island Garden City of Samal is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 28% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.