Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kiambu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kiambu: $503 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kiambu
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Kiambu Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kiambu

🇰🇪 Kenya

$503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $503 in Kiambu.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kiambu $503

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $823 in Kiambu.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kiambu $823

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,143 in Kiambu.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Kiambu $1,143

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 139% more expensive than in Kiambu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Kiambu 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$6.41 KES 833

70.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$34.12 KES 4,431

27.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$6.52 KES 847

80.67%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.60 KES 337

46.54%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.64 KES 83.4

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.62 KES 81.1

25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.26 KES 293

40.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.62 KES 340

88.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.54 KES 70.8

161.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.55 KES 71.5

303.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.83 KES 237

-22.40%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.37 KES 179

83.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$10.71 KES 1,391

-32.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.67 KES 866

15.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$4.01 KES 520

216.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.50 KES 455

-20.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.04 KES 135

31.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$0.75 KES 97.0

240.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$0.59 KES 77.1

259.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.72 KES 93.7

169.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.71 KES 92.5

166.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.30 KES 38.52

283.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.37 KES 47.84

218.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.39 KES 440

26.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.49 KES 1,493

-13.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$2.27 KES 295

-30.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.70 KES 350

-1.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.63 KES 81.3

-12.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.51 KES 196

229.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.36 KES 47.33

825.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$2.81 KES 365

90.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.60 KES 208

-10.00%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$19.2K KES 2.5M

7.54%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$21.6K KES 2.8M

8.60%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$56.4 KES 7,320

50.42%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$7.86 KES 1,020

197.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$35.13 KES 4,562

-18.42%

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

$5.82 KES 755

-11.68%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$280 KES 36.4K

-26.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$12.5K KES 1.6M

-68.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$27.56 KES 3,579

57.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$29.19 KES 3,791

41.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$70.1 KES 9,109

5.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$57.5 KES 7,466

55.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$116 KES 15.0K

746.42%

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

$1,175 KES 152.6K

235.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$125 KES 16.3K

485.97%

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 Kiambu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Kiambu

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Kiambu

$180 35.8% 29.4% $75

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Kiambu

$124 24.6% 38.9% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kiambu

$99 19.7% 27.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kiambu

$83 16.5% 25.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Kiambu

$12 * 2.3% 82.7% $56

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kiambu

$5.8 * 1.2% 88.4% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $116 in Kiambu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $34 in Kiambu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $180 per month, with Kiambu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇪 Kiambu

🕒 Local time

20:22 8:22 PM

04:22 4:22 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

147,870

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kiambu 13,560 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kiambu

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 Kiambu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kiambu is about 58% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 5.9 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 $116 in Kiambu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $280 in Kiambu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kiambu – a meal for two runs $34 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $503 in Kiambu versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kiambu but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Kiambu 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 – Kiambu 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.