Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Jerudong

For one person, living is cheaper in Jerudong: $726 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Jerudong, Brunei
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Jerudong
🇧🇳 Brunei
$726
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $726 in Jerudong, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Jerudong $726

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,147 in Jerudong, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Jerudong $1,147

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,567 in Jerudong, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Jerudong $1,567

Playa del Carmen costs about 66% more than Jerudong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Jerudong are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Jerudong 47% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Jerudong
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$3.80 BND 4.86
187.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$813
$23.46 BND 30.01
84.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$6.28 BND 8.04
87.58%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.99 BND 2.54
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.33 BND 2.97
-
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.4
$3.84 BND 4.92
-0.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.03
$0.90 BND 1.16
42.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.67
$0.53 BND 0.68
47.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.3
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.5
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Jerudong
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.35
$1.85 BND 2.36
-23.78%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.54
$1.69 BND 2.16
31.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.56
$1.25 BND 1.60
13.60%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.27
$2.02 BND 2.59
24.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$9.20 BND 11.77
-21.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$4.53 BND 5.79
69.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$10.56 BND 13.51
20.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.2
$3.15 BND 4.03
-11.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.64
$2.24 BND 2.87
-38.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.80
$2.88 BND 3.68
-11.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.78
$2.55 BND 3.27
-16.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.32
$1.73 BND 2.22
12.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.34
$2.01 BND 2.56
-5.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.49
$3.06 BND 3.92
-62.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.09
$0.85 BND 1.09
38.82%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$23.36 BND 29.88
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$3.35 BND 4.29
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.5
$15.45 BND 19.76
-72.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$186
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.67
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Jerudong
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.37
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$499
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.1
$3.90 BND 4.98
27.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.4
$3.24 BND 4.14
2.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$100
$11.49 BND 14.70
-53.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.06
$0.43 BND 0.55
234.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$387.3K
$43.2K BND 55.2K
-52.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$439.7K
$36.9K BND 47.2K
-36.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Jerudong
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,589
$61.1 BND 78.1
38.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$21.98 BND 28.12
6.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$537
$65.2 BND 83.4
-56.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Jerudong
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,069
$77.7 BND 99.3
-26.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$542
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.3
$3.97 BND 5.08
29.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Jerudong
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,871
$217 BND 278
-4.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.6K
$9,790 BND 12.5K
-59.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Jerudong
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$812
$77.4 BND 99.1
-44.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$777
$93.8 BND 120
-55.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,390
$102 BND 130
-26.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,672
$72.4 BND 92.6
23.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Jerudong
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,136
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.0K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.4K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Jerudong
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.88
195.10%

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 Jerudong: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Jerudong
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Jerudong
$216 15.4% $39
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Jerudong
$101 50.1% $101
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Jerudong
$148 8.4% $11
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Jerudong
$155 39.1% $44
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Jerudong
$86 27.2% $18
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Jerudong
$20 * 60.2% $30

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 $23 in Jerudong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $216 – making Jerudong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇧🇳 Jerudong
🕒 Local time
09:29 9:29 AM
22:29 10:29 PM
13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
11,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.701 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Jerudong 16,300 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Jerudong

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 Jerudong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jerudong cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,089 in Jerudong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Jerudong?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $23 in Jerudong. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Jerudong?
Groceries cost about 18% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Jerudong?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jerudong, where all-in costs run around $726, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Jerudong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Jerudong?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $726 in Jerudong to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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