Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lapu-Lapu Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lapu-Lapu

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 36.1% more expensive than Lapu-Lapu without rent, and 46.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 45.7% more expensive than Lapu-Lapu without rent, and 70.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Lapu-Lapu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$4.52 ₱264
162.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$18.02 ₱1,054
133.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$4.34 ₱254
147.70%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$2.63 ₱154
31.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$0.84 ₱48.94
72.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.42 ₱24.56
114.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$1.58 ₱92.1
93.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$2.17 ₱127
103.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Lapu-Lapu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$1.65 ₱96.4
-16.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.44 ₱84.3
29.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$1.07 ₱62.8
43.93%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$2.29 ₱134
9.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$11.94 ₱699
-27.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$5.09 ₱298
69.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$7.55 ₱442
45.96%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$3.35 ₱196
-17.91%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$1.37 ₱80.2
4.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$2.35 ₱138
-20.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$2.20 ₱129
-1.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$2.22 ₱130
-15.32%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$1.82 ₱106
23.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$0.91 ₱53.5
17.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$0.82 ₱48.26
30.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$1.72 ₱101
141.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$4.36 ₱255
137.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.03 ₱60.5
63.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$2.31 ₱135
7.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Lapu-Lapu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.26 ₱15.13
111.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$0.88 ₱51.8
265.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$0.23 ₱13.35
978.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$2.64 ₱154
17.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$1.10 ₱64.2
14.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$24.5K ₱1.4M
25.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$32.9K ₱1.9M
-26.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Lapu-Lapu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$97.2 ₱5,688
-15.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$26.97 ₱1,578
-17.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$29.96 ₱1,753
0.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Lapu-Lapu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$44.07 ₱2,578
16.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$1.80 ₱105
916.11%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$5.96 ₱349
-16.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Lapu-Lapu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$123 ₱7,179
63.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$1,786 ₱104.5K
196.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Lapu-Lapu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$47.52 ₱2,780
-24.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$23.12 ₱1,353
71.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$75.0 ₱4,387
7.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$55.9 ₱3,268
58.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Lapu-Lapu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$334 ₱19.5K
190.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$240 ₱14.1K
100.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$826 ₱48.3K
93.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$504 ₱29.5K
134.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Lapu-Lapu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$230 ₱13.5K
228.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
8
42.75%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Lapu-Lapu: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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