Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lautoka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lautoka: $333 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

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

Cost of Living Index in Lautoka
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Lautoka Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Lautoka

🇫🇯 Fiji

$333

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $333 in Lautoka.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Lautoka $333

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $722 in Lautoka.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Lautoka $722

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,112 in Lautoka.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Lautoka $1,112

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 264% more expensive than in Lautoka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Lautoka 75% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$5.19 FJD 11.61

107.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$797

$79.2 FJD 177

-45.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$7.80 FJD 17.47

51.15%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.6

$2.56 FJD 5.72

51.17%

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

$1.37 MX$25.36

$2.12 FJD 4.74

-35.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.49

$1.51 FJD 3.38

-44.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.5

$2.43 FJD 5.44

27.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.9

$3.05 FJD 6.84

66.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.66 FJD 3.72

-13.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.34

$0.73 FJD 1.64

205.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.25

$0.87 FJD 1.95

68.97%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.84

$3.44 FJD 7.70

-26.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$5.80 FJD 12.98

25.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$146

$7.62 FJD 17.06

3.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$237

$7.58 FJD 16.98

68.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.7

$4.42 FJD 9.90

-34.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.60

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.20

$1.30 FJD 2.91

96.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.13

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$37.07

$0.93 FJD 2.09

115.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.17

$0.86 FJD 1.93

133.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.08

$0.87 FJD 1.96

36.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.29

$0.46 FJD 1.03

173.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.6

$10.93 FJD 24.46

-59.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$178

$5.46 FJD 12.22

75.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.50

$2.57 FJD 5.74

-38.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$52.1

$3.49 FJD 7.82

-19.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$516

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.8

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.15

$1.33 FJD 2.99

10.53%

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

$21.0K MX$388.9K

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

$23.9K MX$443.0K

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

$84.2 MX$1,560

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

$23.99 MX$444

$13.14 FJD 29.43

82.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$538

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,167

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.6

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

$204 MX$3,773

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$73.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$808

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$799

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,404

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,642

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.7K

$450 FJD 1,007

124.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,931

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$872 FJD 1,952

96.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$73.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$14.0K

$688 FJD 1,541

9.57%

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: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lautoka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Lautoka

$191 * 57.5% 26.1% $67

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Lautoka

$128 38.6% 36.5% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Lautoka

$13 * 4% 90.4% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

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 $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $450 in Lautoka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 10% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $79.0 in Lautoka. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $191, with Lautoka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇫🇯 Lautoka

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

10:51 10:51 AM

17 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

50,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.4 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.398 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 18.53 MXN (100 MXN = 5.4 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Lautoka 11,240 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Lautoka

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 Lautoka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Lautoka differ by about 264% in total monthly costs ($1,210 vs $333 including rent). Lautoka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 10% 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $450 in Lautoka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lautoka – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $333 in Lautoka – a 264% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $333 in Lautoka versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lautoka but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Lautoka 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.

Expats usually find Lautoka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 264% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.