Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mahé

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,765 in Mahé, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Mahé

🇸🇨 Seychelles

$1,765

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,765 in Mahé.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Mahé $1,765

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,574 in Mahé.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Mahé $2,574

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,384 in Mahé.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Mahé $3,384

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 32% less than in Mahé, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Mahé is 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$17.64 SCR 252

-38.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$106 SCR 1,516

-59.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$5.50 SCR 78.6

114.18%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$6.55 SCR 93.6

-41.83%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.60 SCR 22.87

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$12.66 SCR 181

-74.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$8.98 SCR 128

-45.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.59 SCR 22.75

-11.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.07 SCR 15.28

107.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.75 SCR 24.96

-18.86%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$4.25 SCR 60.8

-40.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$15.89 SCR 227

-54.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$8.07 SCR 115

-4.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$12.57 SCR 180

0.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.06 SCR 29.43

34.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.39 SCR 34.19

6.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$6.26 SCR 89.5

-66.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.08 SCR 15.47

79.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.09 SCR 15.60

73.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.08 SCR 15.40

6.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$13.88 SCR 198

-69.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.15 SCR 30.74

24.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.76 SCR 10.88

-27.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$34.96 SCR 500

-23.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$14.16 SCR 202

-62.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.46 SCR 20.88

-1.37%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$49.91 SCR 714

69.89%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$20.85 SCR 298

12.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$107 SCR 1,536

-73.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$53.2 SCR 760

7.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$6.40 SCR 91.6

-19.69%

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$30.31 SCR 433

43.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$11.99 SCR 171

245.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$47.74 SCR 682

55.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$60.1 SCR 858

48.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$856 SCR 12.2K

14.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$850 SCR 12.1K

-55.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,795 SCR 25.7K

-4.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,053 SCR 15.1K

2.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$865 SCR 12.4K

-15.05%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Mahé: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Mahé

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Mahé

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Mahé

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Mahé

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Mahé

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Mahé

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Mahé

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $856 in Mahé. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mahé pays 18% 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 in Playa del Carmen vs $106 in Mahé. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $242, with Mahé cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇨 Mahé

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

08:48 8:48 AM

9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

78,539

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Seychellois Rupee SCR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 SCR = 7 USD

100 SCR = 6.27 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SCR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Seychellois Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 14.3 SCR (100 SCR = 7 USD). 1 EUR = 15.96 SCR (100 SCR = 6.27 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mahé 15,600 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mahé

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 Mahé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Mahé. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $856 in Mahé. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Mahé pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,765 in Mahé – Playa del Carmen is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,765 in Mahé, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Mahé. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Mahé on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.