Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Las Terrenas Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Las Terrenas

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 72.7% more expensive than Las Terrenas without rent, and 13.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 20.8% more expensive than Las Terrenas without rent, and 41% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$6.38 DOP 376
87.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$48.29 DOP 2,843
-12.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$7.53 DOP 443
39.04%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.13 DOP 126
69.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.99 DOP 58.3
45.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.8 DOP 47.05
11.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$2.57 DOP 151
20.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$5.12 DOP 301
-10.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.3 DOP 76.7
6.15%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.46 DOP 85.7
26.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.17 DOP 69.1
34.19%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$1.73 DOP 102
47.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$7.32 DOP 431
17.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$6.42 DOP 378
33.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$11.08 DOP 652
-0.90%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.49 DOP 147
9.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$0.85 DOP 49.79
77.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.16 DOP 68.3
62.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.17 DOP 68.7
87.18%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.18 DOP 69.4
58.47%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$2.3 DOP 135
-4.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.82 DOP 48.28
30.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.49 DOP 29.13
122.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$5.04 DOP 297
-21.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$7.51 DOP 442
17.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$2.4 DOP 141
-28.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$2.33 DOP 137
12.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$1.75 DOP 103
-70.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$3.43 DOP 202
-5.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$2.2 DOP 129
8.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$5.87 DOP 346
-47.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.25 DOP 73.6
4.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$26.2K DOP 1.5M
15.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$31.1K DOP 1.8M
-22.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$76.9 DOP 4,525
9.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$23.18 DOP 1,365
-4.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$36.37 DOP 2,141
-17.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$21.14 DOP 1,244
145.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$16.74 DOP 986
11.83%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$6.75 DOP 397
-24.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$85 DOP 5,003
135.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$4,610 DOP 271.4K
15.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$43.14 DOP 2,539
-17.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$41.95 DOP 2,470
-5.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$71.5 DOP 4,210
10.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$84.2 DOP 4,959
4.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$775 DOP 45.6K
24.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$460 DOP 27.1K
3.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$1,468 DOP 86.4K
12.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$689 DOP 40.6K
74.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$1,743 DOP 102.6K
76.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$1,576 DOP 92.8K
377.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$308 DOP 18.1K
157.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
12.9
-11.47%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Las Terrenas: October 28, 2025

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