Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Jarabacoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Jarabacoa: $695 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Jarabacoa
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Jarabacoa Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Jarabacoa

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$695

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $695 in Jarabacoa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Jarabacoa $695

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,144 in Jarabacoa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Jarabacoa $1,144

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,593 in Jarabacoa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Jarabacoa $1,593

Playa del Carmen costs about 73% more than Jarabacoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Jarabacoa are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Jarabacoa 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$9.89 DOP 606

10.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$48.23 DOP 2,954

-10.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.36 DOP 451

60.05%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.30 DOP 141

65.65%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.05 DOP 64.4

21.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.57 DOP 35.19

36.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.46 DOP 151

28.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.10 DOP 190

59.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.40 DOP 85.5

0.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.54 DOP 94.0

44.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.60 DOP 98.2

-11.25%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.33 DOP 143

8.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$7.13 DOP 437

1.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.43 DOP 333

41.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$6.47 DOP 396

96.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.23 DOP 198

-13.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$0.79 DOP 48.30

73.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$2.66 DOP 163

-4.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.85 DOP 114

14.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$2.02 DOP 124

-3.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.17 DOP 133

-12.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.98 DOP 59.9

17.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.98 DOP 60.3

20.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$5.12 DOP 314

-16.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.08 DOP 617

-1.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$2.62 DOP 160

-39.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.87 DOP 176

-6.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.32 DOP 203

49.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$2.23 DOP 137

49.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$5.77 DOP 353

-7.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.41 DOP 86.4

2.13%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$29.3K DOP 1.8M

-29.56%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$33.7K DOP 2.1M

-30.27%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$92.1 DOP 5,642

-7.97%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$31.44 DOP 1,925

-25.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$35.29 DOP 2,161

-18.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$7.32 DOP 448

-29.78%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$244 DOP 14.9K

-15.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$7,179 DOP 439.7K

-45.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$45.63 DOP 2,794

-5.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$46.74 DOP 2,862

-11.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$85.1 DOP 5,214

-12.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$121 DOP 7,389

-26.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

13.56

-15.56%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jarabacoa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Jarabacoa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Jarabacoa

$219 31.5% 14.1% $36

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Jarabacoa

$154 22.1% 24% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Jarabacoa

$159 22.9% 16.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Jarabacoa

$134 19.3% 20.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Jarabacoa

$15 * 2.1% 78.3% $53

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Jarabacoa

$14 * 2.1% 71.3% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $48 in Jarabacoa. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $219 in Jarabacoa – so Jarabacoa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇴 Jarabacoa

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

15:59 3:59 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

69,855

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 61.24 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Jarabacoa 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Jarabacoa

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 Jarabacoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 73%, 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 $1,042 in Jarabacoa. 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 $695 in Jarabacoa. That makes Jarabacoa about 42% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $244 in Jarabacoa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jarabacoa, where all-in costs run around $695, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Jarabacoa 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 $695 in Jarabacoa to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.