Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lugazi

For one person, living is cheaper in Lugazi: $389 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Lugazi
Learn more

Lugazi Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Lugazi

🇺🇬 Uganda

$389

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $389 in Lugazi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Lugazi $389

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $614 in Lugazi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Lugazi $614

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $838 in Lugazi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Lugazi $838

Playa del Carmen costs about 209% more than Lugazi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Lugazi are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Lugazi 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$2.40 UGX 10.1K

344.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$22.97 UGX 96.9K

90.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.08 UGX 29.8K

66.53%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.39 UGX 10.1K

58.58%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.33 UGX 1,409

293.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.24 UGX 1,010

245.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.14 UGX 4,795

176.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.77 UGX 7,479

178.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.80 UGX 3,365

76.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.79 UGX 3,338

178.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.24 UGX 5,214

18.55%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.35 UGX 5,703

85.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$4.04 UGX 17.0K

80.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.16 UGX 17.6K

91.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$4.52 UGX 19.1K

184.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.99 UGX 8,374

45.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.34 UGX 5,651

2.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.25 UGX 5,266

99.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.23 UGX 5,201

65.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.13 UGX 4,787

78.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.25 UGX 5,276

52.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.70 UGX 2,958

62.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.50 UGX 2,093

148.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.37 UGX 10.0K

80.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$7.05 UGX 29.7K

39.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.01 UGX 4,278

57.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.83 UGX 7,725

50.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.46 UGX 1,921

934.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.30 UGX 1,278

983.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$2.86 UGX 12.1K

88.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.37 UGX 5,757

11.68%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$6,887 UGX 29.0M

208.03%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$7,149 UGX 30.2M

225.41%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$65.4 UGX 275.9K

27.62%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$11.16 UGX 47.1K

107.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$32.67 UGX 137.8K

-15.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$6.85 UGX 28.9K

-27.01%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$268 UGX 1.1M

-22.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$16.2K UGX 68.3M

-67.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$13.05 UGX 55.0K

232.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$12.49 UGX 52.7K

240.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$30.97 UGX 130.6K

134.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$41.40 UGX 174.6K

113.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

20.75

-44.82%

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 Lugazi: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Lugazi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Lugazi

$139 35.8% 45.9% $118

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Lugazi

$81 20.7% 59.7% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Lugazi

$109 28.1% 18.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Lugazi

$44 11.3% 60.4% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Lugazi

$14 * 3.5% 79.4% $53

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Lugazi

$2 * 0.5% 96.1% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $23 in Lugazi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $139 – making Lugazi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇬 Lugazi

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

13:02 1:02 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

128,400

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4,217 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD). 1 EUR = 4,739 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Lugazi 13,090 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Lugazi

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 Lugazi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 209% more than Lugazi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $583 in Lugazi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $23 in Lugazi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 85% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Lugazi, where all-in costs run around $389, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Lugazi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $389 in Lugazi to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.