Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Laoag City

For one person, living is cheaper in Laoag City: $720 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Laoag City
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Laoag City Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Laoag City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Laoag City

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $720 in Laoag City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Laoag City $720

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,097 in Laoag City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Laoag City $1,097

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,475 in Laoag City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Laoag City $1,475

Playa del Carmen costs about 67% more than Laoag City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Laoag City are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Laoag City 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$3.95 ₱250

170.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$813

$16.69 ₱1,058

162.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$2.79 ₱177

322.58%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.3

$2.13 ₱135

77.93%

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

$1.30 MX$24.09

$0.69 ₱43.58

88.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.48

$0.31 ₱19.56

167.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.4

$1.19 ₱75.3

164.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

$2.04 ₱130

141.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.16

$1.65 ₱105

-14.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.77

$1.15 ₱72.8

91.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.35

$0.90 ₱56.8

63.33%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.37

$1.92 ₱122

30.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$135

$5.43 ₱344

34.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.18 ₱265

90.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$6.94 ₱440

85.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.8

$2.39 ₱152

21.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.69

$1.59 ₱100

-13.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.26

$2.40 ₱152

3.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.70

$1.11 ₱70.2

82.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.61

$2.04 ₱129

-0.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.35

$2.19 ₱139

-13.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.25

$1.04 ₱65.9

9.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.01

$0.53 ₱33.64

133.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

$2.92 ₱185

46.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$182

$7.50 ₱476

30.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.45

$0.97 ₱61.2

63.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.0

$1.93 ₱122

42.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

$0.22 ₱13.94

131.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$509

$12.26 ₱777

123.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

$0.75 ₱47.76

534.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

$0.23 ₱14.61

1313.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$1.91 ₱121

182.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.38

$1.00 ₱63.2

53.00%

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

$21.2K MX$393.9K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

0.90%

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

$23.3K MX$432.0K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

23.70%

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

$83.5 MX$1,550

$119 ₱7,546

-29.87%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$15.64 ₱991

48.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$513

$23.94 ₱1,517

15.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,048

$31.30 ₱1,984

80.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$524

$5.11 ₱324

451.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.9

$5.06 ₱321

-1.19%

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

$207 MX$3,846

$131 ₱8,327

57.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.1K

$7,744 ₱490.9K

-32.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$807

$32.77 ₱2,077

32.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$790

$19.23 ₱1,219

121.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,351

$69.8 ₱4,425

4.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,641

$55.0 ₱3,487

60.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$247 ₱15.6K

303.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,102

$167 ₱10.6K

128.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

$497 ₱31.5K

236.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$344 ₱21.8K

214.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.6K

$2,674 ₱169.5K

46.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.0K

$1,094 ₱69.3K

461.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$159 ₱10.1K

422.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.92

65.46%

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 Laoag City: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Laoag City

$167 23.2% 56.3% $215

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Laoag City

$179 24.8% 30.6% $79

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Laoag City

$80 11.1% 60.3% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Laoag City

$159 22% 18.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Laoag City

$80 11.1% 28.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Laoag City

$41 5.8% 37.6% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Laoag City

$15 2.1% 70.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $247 in Laoag City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $17 in Laoag City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $179 – making Laoag City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Laoag City

🕒 Local time

11:02 11:02 AM

00:02 12:02 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

112,117

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Laoag City 14,750 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Laoag City

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 Laoag City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 67% more than Laoag City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,080 in Laoag City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Laoag City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $247 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $720 in Laoag City. That makes Laoag City about 40% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 55% less in Laoag City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Laoag City, where all-in costs run around $720, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Laoag City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Laoag City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.