Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Knysna

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Knysna: $1,202 and $1,193 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,193 in Knysna, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Knysna $1,193

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,775 in Knysna, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Knysna $1,775

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,357 in Knysna, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Knysna $2,357

Playa del Carmen and Knysna have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Playa del Carmen and Knysna are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Knysna 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$9.44 R 157

13.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$39.22 R 651

11.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$5.80 R 96.2

103.28%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$2.09 R 34.62

81.34%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$1.04 R 17.28

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.74 R 12.25

12.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.36 R 39.11

33.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$2.72 R 45.17

81.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.16 R 19.32

21.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.00 R 16.56

120.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.49 R 24.73

-1.34%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$2.70 R 44.84

-7.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$8.56 R 142

-14.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$4.87 R 80.9

63.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$8.10 R 134

58.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$1.63 R 27.10

77.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.46 R 24.17

-5.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.56 R 25.92

59.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.52 R 25.19

33.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.66 R 27.56

21.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.43 R 23.80

32.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$1.22 R 20.18

-6.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$1.02 R 16.98

21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$3.19 R 52.9

33.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$4.72 R 78.4

107.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.19 R 19.70

33.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$1.46 R 24.18

88.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$1.79 R 29.68

-71.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$0.83 R 13.74

473.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.52 R 8.60

525.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$8.29 R 138

-34.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.47 R 24.42

4.08%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$23.4K R 388.1K

-9.31%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$28.2K R 468.5K

-17.62%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$110 R 1,830

-24.31%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$32.86 R 545

-29.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$43.51 R 722

-36.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$47.47 R 788

18.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$10.83 R 180

160.30%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$8.55 R 142

-41.52%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$176 R 2,925

17.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$5,855 R 97.1K

-10.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$41.94 R 696

3.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$33.00 R 547

28.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$107 R 1,781

-32.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$75.9 R 1,259

16.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$505 R 8,372

97.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$486 R 8,069

-21.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$808 R 13.4K

107.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$794 R 13.2K

36.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$755 R 12.5K

417.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,011 R 16.8K

507.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

$940 R 15.6K

-11.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.83

-3.21%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Knysna: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Knysna

$486 40.8% 27.2% $104

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Knysna

$187 15.7% 27.4% $71

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Knysna

$142 11.9% 28.9% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Knysna

$187 15.6% 39% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Knysna

$116 9.7% 4.5% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Knysna

$65 5.4% 2.8% $1.9

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Knysna

$11 * 0.9% 79% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $505 in Knysna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 13% higher in Knysna. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $39 in Knysna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $187 – making Knysna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Knysna

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

23:42 11:42 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

51,078

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.72 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.35 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.19 MXN (100 MXN = 4.72 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.68 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.35 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Knysna 13,080 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Knysna

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 Knysna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,790 in Knysna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Knysna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $505 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $39 in Knysna. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $176 in Knysna. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,193 in Knysna, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Knysna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.