Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Malaybalay

For one person, living is cheaper in Malaybalay: $739 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Malaybalay
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Malaybalay Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Malaybalay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $739 in Malaybalay.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Malaybalay $739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,140 in Malaybalay.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Malaybalay $1,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,542 in Malaybalay.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Malaybalay $1,542

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 63% more expensive than in Malaybalay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Malaybalay 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$4.55 ₱289

134.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$16.36 ₱1,040

167.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$3.49 ₱222

237.82%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.14 ₱136

77.10%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.45 ₱28.56

188.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.32 ₱20.47

159.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.18 ₱75.3

166.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.06 ₱131

139.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.97 ₱125

-28.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.10 ₱70.1

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.84 ₱53.5

75.00%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$1.90 ₱121

31.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$6.31 ₱401

15.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.55 ₱289

74.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$9.02 ₱573

42.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.70 ₱171

7.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.11 ₱70.6

24.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$2.39 ₱152

4.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$1.14 ₱72.3

78.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$1.90 ₱121

6.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$3.29 ₱209

-42.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.24 ₱78.8

-8.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.67 ₱42.60

85.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.41 ₱153

77.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$7.89 ₱501

24.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.22 ₱77.5

30.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.66 ₱106

65.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.24 ₱15.27

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$12.31 ₱783

122.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.79 ₱50.4

502.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.24 ₱15.32

1254.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$1.91 ₱121

182.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.26 ₱80.3

21.43%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$21.2K ₱1.4M

-0.10%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$18.7K ₱1.2M

24.30%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$104 ₱6,590

-19.45%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$19.05 ₱1,211

21.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$30.84 ₱1,961

-10.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$31.24 ₱1,987

80.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$5.12 ₱325

450.59%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$4.80 ₱305

4.17%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$105 ₱6,703

96.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$7,393 ₱470.1K

-29.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$32.03 ₱2,036

35.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$19.04 ₱1,211

123.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$71.0 ₱4,513

2.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$59.6 ₱3,792

48.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$250 ₱15.9K

297.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$166 ₱10.5K

130.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$485 ₱30.8K

245.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$354 ₱22.5K

205.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,659 ₱169.1K

46.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,116 ₱71.0K

449.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.31

37.79%

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 Malaybalay: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Malaybalay

$166 22.4% 56.6% $216

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Malaybalay

$196 26.5% 23.8% $61

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Malaybalay

$86 11.6% 57.2% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Malaybalay

$154 20.8% 14.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Malaybalay

$82 11.1% 26.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Malaybalay

$41 5.5% 38.5% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Malaybalay

$15 2.1% 69.7% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $250 in Malaybalay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $16 in Malaybalay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $196 per month, with Malaybalay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Malaybalay

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

07:42 7:42 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

190,712

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Malaybalay 15,260 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Malaybalay

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 Malaybalay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $739 in Malaybalay, so Malaybalay is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,109 in Malaybalay to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $250 in Malaybalay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Malaybalay – a meal for two runs $16 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $739 in Malaybalay versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Malaybalay but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Malaybalay 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.

Expats usually find Malaybalay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.