Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Limbe

For one person, living is cheaper in Limbe: $876 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Limbe
Learn more

Limbe Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Limbe

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$876

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $876 in Limbe.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Limbe $876

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,516 in Limbe.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Limbe $1,516

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,156 in Limbe.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Limbe $2,156

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 37% more expensive than in Limbe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Limbe 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$4.18 FCFA 2,442

155.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$119 FCFA 69.5K

-63.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$6.96 FCFA 4,072

69.40%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$1.03 FCFA 605

267.96%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$1.57 FCFA 918

-17.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.78 FCFA 456

6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$1.22 FCFA 713

158.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$2.62 FCFA 1,532

88.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$2.51 FCFA 1,467

-43.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$0.44 FCFA 256

400.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.58 FCFA 922

-6.96%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$1.88 FCFA 1,099

32.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$9.16 FCFA 5,359

-20.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$4.68 FCFA 2,737

69.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$6.36 FCFA 3,718

102.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$1.90 FCFA 1,109

52.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.12 FCFA 655

23.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.87 FCFA 1,092

33.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.32 FCFA 773

53.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.84 FCFA 1,073

9.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$2.10 FCFA 1,228

-9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.73 FCFA 426

56.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.66 FCFA 386

87.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$2.60 FCFA 1,518

64.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$8.55 FCFA 5,000

14.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.45 FCFA 850

9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$1.71 FCFA 999

60.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.81 FCFA 477

-37.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$25.63 FCFA 15.0K

6.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$0.53 FCFA 312

798.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.20 FCFA 117

1525.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$1.73 FCFA 1,009

211.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.15 FCFA 672

33.04%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$29.8K FCFA 17.4M

-28.72%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$15.3K FCFA 9.0M

51.67%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$84.5 FCFA 49.4K

-1.24%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$26.04 FCFA 15.2K

-10.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$80.4 FCFA 47.0K

-65.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$42.77 FCFA 25.0K

31.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$4.30 FCFA 2,513

16.28%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$340 FCFA 199.1K

-39.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$1,689 FCFA 988.0K

209.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$80.2 FCFA 46.9K

-45.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$67.0 FCFA 39.2K

-36.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$136 FCFA 79.6K

-46.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$148 FCFA 86.6K

-40.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$130 FCFA 76.2K

193.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$137 FCFA 80.2K

687.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

19.04

-39.86%

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 Limbe: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Limbe

$130 14.9% 65.9% $252

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Limbe

$192 21.9% 25.5% $66

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Limbe

$87 10% 56.3% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Limbe

$191 21.8% 42.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Limbe

$194 22.2% 74.6% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Limbe

$51 5.9% 22.7% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Limbe

$30 3.5% 39.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $119 in Limbe. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $192, with Limbe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇲 Limbe

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

07:55 7:55 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

118,210

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 654 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Limbe 10,500 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Limbe

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 Limbe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $876 in Limbe, so Limbe is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,315 in Limbe to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $119 in Limbe. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $876 in Limbe versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Limbe but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Limbe 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.