Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lipa Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lipa

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 59.8% more expensive than Lipa without rent, and 99.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 65.1% more expensive than Lipa without rent, and 112.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Lipa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$3.49 ₱207
239.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$18.01 ₱1,065
134.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$3.16 ₱187
240.19%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$2.39 ₱141
45.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$0.45 ₱26.78
222.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.31 ₱18.08
190.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$0.69 ₱40.71
342.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$2.68 ₱158
64.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Lipa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$1.34 ₱79.5
2.24%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$1.18 ₱70.1
58.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$1.11 ₱65.6
38.74%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$1.93 ₱114
29.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$7.21 ₱427
19.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$4.17 ₱247
106.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$6.98 ₱413
57.88%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$1.79 ₱106
53.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$1.54 ₱91.2
-7.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$1.79 ₱106
4.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.22 ₱72.0
77.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$0.93 ₱54.9
102.15%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$1.04 ₱61.6
116.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$0.51 ₱30.05
109.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$1.06 ₱62.6
0.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$3.16 ₱187
31.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$9.16 ₱542
12.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$0.93 ₱54.8
80.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$2.02 ₱119
22.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Lipa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$0.24 ₱14.28
129.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$0.76 ₱45.14
323.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$0.22 ₱12.95
1027.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$2.11 ₱125
47.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.09 ₱64.8
15.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$26.1K ₱1.5M
17.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$20.7K ₱1.2M
15.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Lipa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$81.0 ₱4,790
1.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$33.57 ₱1,986
-33.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$30.01 ₱1,776
0.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Lipa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$26.88 ₱1,591
91.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$5.78 ₱342
-13.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Lipa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$80.6 ₱4,766
148.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$2,813 ₱166.4K
88.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Lipa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$31.39 ₱1,858
13.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$29.52 ₱1,747
34.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$99.8 ₱5,907
-19.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$93.4 ₱5,526
-5.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Lipa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$89.0 ₱5,264
989.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$66.5 ₱3,935
625.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$276 ₱16.3K
478.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$255 ₱15.1K
364.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Lipa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
$237 ₱14.0K
218.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
8.13
40.47%

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 Lipa: March 1, 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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