Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and La Romana

For one person, living is cheaper in La Romana: $627 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

La Romana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in La Romana

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $627 in La Romana, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
La Romana $627

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,011 in La Romana, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
La Romana $1,011

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,395 in La Romana, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
La Romana $1,395

Playa del Carmen costs about 92% more than La Romana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and La Romana are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, La Romana 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$8.32 DOP 500

28.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$41.07 DOP 2,466

6.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$6.93 DOP 416

70.13%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.82 DOP 109

108.24%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.72 DOP 43.40

80.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.32 DOP 19.20

159.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.38 DOP 143

32.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.84 DOP 231

28.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.07 DOP 64.3

31.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.78 DOP 107

23.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.53 DOP 91.8

-3.92%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.48 DOP 88.7

68.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$6.36 DOP 382

14.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.47 DOP 208

129.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$4.75 DOP 285

170.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$3.74 DOP 225

-22.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.38 DOP 82.8

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$3.34 DOP 200

-25.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$2.17 DOP 131

-6.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$3.51 DOP 211

-42.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.95 DOP 177

-35.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.94 DOP 56.2

21.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.60 DOP 95.9

-22.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$4.69 DOP 282

-8.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$16.13 DOP 969

-39.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$3.01 DOP 181

-47.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.33 DOP 200

-17.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.41 DOP 145

97.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$3.34 DOP 200

-2.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.37 DOP 82.5

11.68%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$14.5K DOP 872.7K

46.00%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$25.3K DOP 1.5M

-8.01%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$92.3 DOP 5,545

-9.56%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$9.95 DOP 598

133.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$38.80 DOP 2,330

-28.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$4.93 DOP 296

1.42%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$145 DOP 8,721

42.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$5,443 DOP 326.9K

-3.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$25.87 DOP 1,554

67.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$45.03 DOP 2,705

-5.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$60.9 DOP 3,657

19.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$65.0 DOP 3,906

35.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.09%

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 La Romana: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

La Romana

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

La Romana

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

La Romana

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

La Romana

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

La Romana

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

La Romana

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

La Romana

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $41 in La Romana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $236 – making La Romana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇴 La Romana

🕒 Local time

21:43 9:43 PM

22:43 10:43 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

567,431

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 DOP = 1.67 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 60.06 DOP (100 DOP = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 67.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen La Romana 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
La Romana

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 La Romana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $941 in La Romana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $627 in La Romana. That makes La Romana about 48% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $145 in La Romana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in La Romana, where all-in costs run around $627, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In La Romana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $627 in La Romana to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.