Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kampala

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampala: $616 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Kampala
Learn more

Kampala Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

$616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $616 in Kampala.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kampala $616

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $940 in Kampala.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kampala $940

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,263 in Kampala.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Kampala $1,263

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 96% more expensive than in Kampala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Kampala 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$2.19 UGX 9,620

398.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$22.69 UGX 99.5K

91.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$6.82 UGX 29.9K

72.73%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.28 UGX 9,994

67.11%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.32 UGX 1,389

300.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.23 UGX 1,003

239.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.14 UGX 4,986

178.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$1.69 UGX 7,418

191.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.68 UGX 2,983

107.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.80 UGX 3,522

177.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.23 UGX 5,382

15.45%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.47 UGX 6,433

71.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$3.93 UGX 17.3K

84.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.97 UGX 17.4K

93.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$4.53 UGX 19.9K

180.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.87 UGX 8,208

48.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.28 UGX 5,595

7.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.15 UGX 5,041

121.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.12 UGX 4,929

89.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.14 UGX 4,999

70.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.14 UGX 4,991

65.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.66 UGX 2,902

74.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.45 UGX 1,967

162.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.17 UGX 9,525

98.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$6.80 UGX 29.8K

46.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.02 UGX 4,457

54.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.71 UGX 7,481

56.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.69 UGX 3,007

-20.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$36.32 UGX 159.3K

-26.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.43 UGX 1,905

1055.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.29 UGX 1,272

1048.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$2.81 UGX 12.3K

90.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.25 UGX 5,487

15.20%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$6,811 UGX 29.9M

203.39%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$6,696 UGX 29.4M

250.41%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$64.4 UGX 282.4K

31.68%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$10.73 UGX 47.1K

118.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$32.03 UGX 140.5K

-10.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$50.9 UGX 223.4K

11.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$5.36 UGX 23.5K

439.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$6.87 UGX 30.1K

-25.18%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$260 UGX 1.1M

-20.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$7,974 UGX 35.0M

-50.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$12.71 UGX 55.7K

241.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$11.92 UGX 52.3K

247.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$28.62 UGX 125.5K

159.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$38.91 UGX 170.7K

129.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$458 UGX 2.0M

113.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$151 UGX 662.8K

152.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,151 UGX 5.1M

48.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$269 UGX 1.2M

299.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,194 UGX 5.2M

230.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$922 UGX 4.0M

567.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$160 UGX 701.7K

359.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

20.75

-44.82%

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 Kampala: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Kampala

$151 24.5% 60.3% $230

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Kampala

$134 21.7% 47.5% $121

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Kampala

$77 12.4% 62.2% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kampala

$107 17.4% 21.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kampala

$41 6.7% 62.9% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Kampala

$65 10.5% 3.9% $2.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kampala

$41 6.7% 18.8% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $458 in Kampala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $23 in Kampala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $134 per month, with Kampala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇬 Kampala

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

20:48 8:48 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,516,210 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, 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).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,386 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD). 1 EUR = 4,883 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.05 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kampala 13,060 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kampala

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 Kampala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kampala is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 96% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 4.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $458 in Kampala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 90% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kampala – a meal for two runs $23 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $616 in Kampala versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kampala but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Kampala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Kampala wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.