Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Koror

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,819 in Koror, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Koror
Learn more

Koror Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Koror

🇵🇼 Palau

$1,819

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,819 in Koror.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Koror $1,819

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,875 in Koror.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Koror $2,875

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,932 in Koror.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Koror $3,932

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 34% less than in Koror, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Koror is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$13.69 $13.69

-22.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$76.2 $76.2

-42.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$10.07 $10.07

17.08%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$4.05 $4.05

-6.42%

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

$1.30 MX$24.36

$1.36 $1.36

-4.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$1.09 $1.09

-23.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$1.46 $1.46

115.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.24 $2.24

120.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$2.60 $2.60

-45.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$3.38 $3.38

-34.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$0.26 $0.26

465.38%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$6.52 $6.52

-61.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$9.80 $9.80

-25.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$13.96 $13.96

-43.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$19.53 $19.53

-34.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$5.20 $5.20

-44.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$2.16 $2.16

-36.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$5.56 $5.56

-55.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$16.23 $16.23

-87.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$4.53 $4.53

-55.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$3.39 $3.39

-43.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$2.02 $2.02

-43.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$1.80 $1.80

-31.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$14.77 $14.77

-71.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$22.95 $22.95

-57.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

$3.53 $3.53

-54.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$3.34 $3.34

-17.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$2.51 $2.51

89.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$5.84 $5.84

-7.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

$1.97 $1.97

-22.34%

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

$17.3K $17.3K

22.59%

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

$15.0K $15.0K

55.15%

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

$83.5 MX$1,568

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

$23.19 MX$435

$52.3 $52.3

-55.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

$198 $198

-86.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

$79.9 $79.9

-29.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

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

$207 MX$3,889

$247 $247

-16.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$85.0 $85.0

-48.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$65.7 $65.7

-35.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$193 $193

-62.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

$196 $196

-54.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$724 $724

37.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

$526 $526

-27.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

$2,192 $2,192

-23.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$938 $938

15.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$801 $801

3.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Koror: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Koror

$526 28.9% 37.6% $144

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Koror

$507 27.9% 97% $250

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Koror

$210 11.5% 4.8% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Koror

$250 * 13.8% 86.5% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Koror

$243 13.4% 118% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Koror

$80 * 4.4% 20.2% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Koror

$2.5 * 0.1% 95% $48

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 $995 in Playa del Carmen and $724 in Koror. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $76 in Koror for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $507 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇼 Koror

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

18:49 6:49 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

14,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Koror 14,510 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Koror

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 Koror: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,819 in Koror, so Playa del Carmen is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $724 in Koror. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 97% higher in Koror. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,819 in Koror – Playa del Carmen is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,819 in Koror, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Koror. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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.