Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Johannesburg Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Johannesburg

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 21% more expensive than Johannesburg without rent, and 8.4% more expensive with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 5.6% cheaper than Johannesburg without rent, and 27% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Johannesburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$11.4 RΒ 203
5.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$44.89 RΒ 798
-5.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$4.98 RΒ 88.7
110.24%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.18 RΒ 38.8
65.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$1.04 RΒ 18.45
38.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.75 RΒ 13.39
18.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$2.7 RΒ 48.05
14.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$2.55 RΒ 45.29
79.61%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Johannesburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.2 RΒ 21.39
15.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.1 RΒ 19.5
68.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.72 RΒ 30.51
-8.72%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.47 RΒ 43.92
3.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$8.04 RΒ 143
7.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$4.91 RΒ 87.4
73.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$6.75 RΒ 120
62.67%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$1.69 RΒ 30.11
60.95%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.53 RΒ 27.16
-1.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.47 RΒ 26.22
27.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.58 RΒ 28.14
38.61%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.45 RΒ 25.8
28.97%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.39 RΒ 24.78
57.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.05 RΒ 18.64
1.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.95 RΒ 16.87
14.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$3.04 RΒ 54.1
30.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$5.99 RΒ 107
47.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.31 RΒ 23.23
31.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$1.67 RΒ 29.74
56.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Johannesburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$1.7 RΒ 30.26
-69.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$71.1 RΒ 1,265
-62.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$1.1 RΒ 19.48
194.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.94 RΒ 16.73
153.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$4.1 RΒ 72.9
-24.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.21 RΒ 21.58
8.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$22.3K RΒ 396.4K
35.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$24.4K RΒ 433.4K
-1.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Johannesburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$116 RΒ 2,069
-27.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$40.29 RΒ 717
-45.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$42.05 RΒ 748
-28.32%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Johannesburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$34.62 RΒ 616
50.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$13.93 RΒ 248
34.39%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$7.23 RΒ 129
-29.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Johannesburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$206 RΒ 3,665
-2.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$4,981 RΒ 88.6K
7.06%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Johannesburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$50.6 RΒ 899
-29.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$33.58 RΒ 597
18.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$91.2 RΒ 1,621
-13.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$78.5 RΒ 1,397
12.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Johannesburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$423 RΒ 7,519
128.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$371 RΒ 6,592
27.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$901 RΒ 16K
83.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$692 RΒ 12.3K
73.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$1,111 RΒ 19.8K
177.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$748 RΒ 13.3K
906.89%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Johannesburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$1,585 RΒ 28.2K
-50.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
11.51
-0.78%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Johannesburg: October 27, 2025

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