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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 145.9% more expensive than Lucena without rent, and 162% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 117.3% more expensive than Lucena without rent, and 153.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Lucena
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$1.67 ₱92.9
617.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$8.68 ₱483
389.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$1.89 ₱105
453.97%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$1.11 ₱61.7
224.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.64 ₱35.61
125.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.34 ₱19.07
161.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$0.93 ₱51.8
232.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$1.44 ₱80.4
218.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Lucena
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.74 ₱96.9
-20.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.19 ₱66.5
55.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$0.96 ₱53.6
63.54%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2 ₱111
27.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$6.95 ₱387
23.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$1.38 ₱76.9
518.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$2.63 ₱146
317.49%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$0.93 ₱51.9
192.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.04 ₱57.6
45.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$0.87 ₱48.31
116.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$0.74 ₱40.97
195.95%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.09 ₱60.5
71.56%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.17 ₱65.4
87.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.26 ₱70.4
-15.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.72 ₱40.29
51.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$3.14 ₱175
26.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$4.31 ₱240
105.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.55 ₱86.3
10.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$0.93 ₱51.8
180.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Lucena
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.31 ₱17.54
67.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$0.82 ₱45.91
295.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.27 ₱15.18
781.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$2.11 ₱117
47.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.11 ₱61.6
18.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$25.9K ₱1.4M
16.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$20.5K ₱1.1M
16.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Lucena
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$63 ₱3,507
33.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$7.17 ₱399
208.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$12.27 ₱683
145.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Lucena
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$34.34 ₱1,912
51.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$7.07 ₱394
-28.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Lucena
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$81.2 ₱4,519
146.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$2,828 ₱157.5K
88.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Lucena
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$31.39 ₱1,748
13.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$30.07 ₱1,674
32.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$53.7 ₱2,988
47.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$93.9 ₱5,226
-5.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Lucena
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$132 ₱7,327
633.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$80 ₱4,455
492.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$587 ₱32.7K
181.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$387 ₱21.6K
210.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$2,209 ₱123K
39.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Lucena
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$344 ₱19.1K
130.36%
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Lucena: October 29, 2025

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