Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Makati

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Makati: $1,215 and $1,257 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Makati
Learn more

Makati Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,257 in Makati.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Makati $1,257

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,052 in Makati.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Makati $2,052

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,847 in Makati.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Makati $2,847

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 3% less than in Makati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Makati 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$6.56 ₱411

67.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$40.13 ₱2,517

11.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$4.75 ₱298

150.95%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$2.65 ₱166

43.40%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$1.08 ₱67.6

21.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.50 ₱31.47

72.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$2.44 ₱153

31.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$3.10 ₱195

61.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.83 ₱115

-20.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$1.24 ₱77.7

87.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$1.01 ₱63.5

42.57%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$2.37 ₱148

3.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$7.35 ₱461

4.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$4.91 ₱308

60.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$6.81 ₱427

87.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$4.09 ₱257

-28.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$2.00 ₱125

-29.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$3.27 ₱205

-21.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$2.29 ₱144

-6.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$3.59 ₱225

-45.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$3.45 ₱216

-43.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.07 ₱67.0

7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$1.11 ₱69.7

9.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$2.66 ₱167

64.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$8.01 ₱502

22.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.35 ₱84.5

14.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$1.98 ₱124

37.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$0.99 ₱61.9

-47.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$57.4 ₱3,599

-52.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$0.66 ₱41.39

643.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$0.23 ₱14.46

1430.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$1.88 ₱118

202.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.26 ₱79.0

22.22%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$21.5K ₱1.3M

-1.08%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$19.8K ₱1.2M

23.64%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$155 ₱9,726

-46.08%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$15.90 ₱997

51.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$32.67 ₱2,049

-10.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$55.4 ₱3,473

17.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$14.51 ₱910

103.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$6.98 ₱438

-27.08%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$783 ₱49.1K

-73.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$7,340 ₱460.4K

-44.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$59.6 ₱3,738

-25.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$37.48 ₱2,351

12.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$82.5 ₱5,171

-8.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$102 ₱6,383

-10.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$828 ₱51.9K

19.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$416 ₱26.1K

-7.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$2,318 ₱145.4K

-26.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$1,067 ₱66.9K

3.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$6,082 ₱381.5K

-33.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$3,765 ₱236.1K

65.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$616 ₱38.6K

23.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.5

52.67%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Makati: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Makati

$416 33.8% 8.1% $31

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Makati

$230 18.7% 11.5% $30

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Makati

$123 10% 39.6% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Makati

$204 16.5% 48.7% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Makati

$127 10.3% 11% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Makati

$69 5.6% 7.6% $5.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Makati

$63 5.1% 21.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $986 in Playa del Carmen and $828 in Makati. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $40.00 in Makati for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $230 per month, with Makati cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Makati

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

19:41 7:41 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

582,602

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Makati 15,040 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Makati

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 Makati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Makati. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $828 in Makati. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,257 in Makati – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 109% less than in Makati. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,257 in Makati, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Makati. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,215 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Makati are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Makati. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.