Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kericho

For one person, living is cheaper in Kericho: $489 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Kericho, Kenya
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Kericho
🇰🇪 Kenya
$489
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $489 in Kericho.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Kericho $489

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $767 in Kericho.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Kericho $767

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,044 in Kericho.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Kericho $1,044

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 146% more expensive than in Kericho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Kericho 64% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Kericho
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$2.27 KES 295
381.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$813
$20.70 KES 2,687
109.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$6.37 KES 827
84.93%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.4
$2.56 KES 333
48.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.03
$0.36 KES 47.30
255.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.67
$0.62 KES 80.2
25.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.3
$2.26 KES 294
40.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.5
$1.26 KES 163
291.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Kericho
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.35
$0.59 KES 76.6
138.98%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.54
$0.48 KES 62.0
362.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.56
$1.25 KES 163
13.60%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.27
$1.64 KES 212
53.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$10.76 KES 1,396
-32.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$6.71 KES 871
14.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$4.19 KES 543
202.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.2
$3.38 KES 439
-17.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.64
$1.02 KES 132
34.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.80
$2.09 KES 272
22.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.78
$1.10 KES 143
92.73%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.32
$0.68 KES 87.8
185.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.34
$0.72 KES 93.2
162.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.49
$0.30 KES 38.81
283.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.09
$0.61 KES 78.6
93.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.5
$3.55 KES 460
21.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$186
$11.41 KES 1,482
-12.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.67
$2.29 KES 298
-31.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$2.79 KES 362
-4.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Kericho
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
$1.53 KES 199
224.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.4
$1.55 KES 201
114.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$100
$2.92 KES 379
83.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.06
$1.60 KES 208
-10.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$387.3K
$19.2K KES 2.5M
7.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$439.7K
$22.0K KES 2.9M
6.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Kericho
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,589
$56.0 KES 7,265
51.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$14.96 KES 1,941
56.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$537
$35.16 KES 4,564
-18.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Kericho
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,069
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$542
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.3
$7.62 KES 989
-32.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Kericho
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,871
$274 KES 35.5K
-24.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.6K
$12.3K KES 1.6M
-68.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Kericho
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$812
$27.67 KES 3,592
56.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$777
$29.30 KES 3,803
41.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,390
$69.5 KES 9,015
6.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,672
$59.3 KES 7,691
50.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Kericho
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
Kericho
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
14.71
-22.16%

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 Kericho: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Kericho
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Kericho
$189 25.7% $65
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Kericho
$86 57.6% $117
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Kericho
$106 22.5% $31
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Kericho
$84 25.2% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Kericho
$15 * 77.4% $52
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Kericho
$9.3 * 81.6% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $21 in Kericho for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $189 per month, with Kericho cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇰🇪 Kericho
🕒 Local time
12:33 12:33 PM
20:33 8:33 PM
8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
150,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Kericho 13,370 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Kericho

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 Kericho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Playa del Carmen and in Kericho?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $489 in Kericho, so Kericho is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Playa del Carmen compared to Kericho?
You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $734 in Kericho to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Playa del Carmen and Kericho?
Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $274 in Kericho. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Kericho – a meal for two runs $21 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $489 in Kericho versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kericho but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Kericho the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Playa del Carmen and Kericho?
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.

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