Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Male

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,524 in Male, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Male outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Male
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Male Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,524 in Male.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Male $1,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,454 in Male.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Male $2,454

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,385 in Male.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Male $3,385

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 20% less than in Male, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 9% below, Male is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$5.86 MVR 90.3

87.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$38.10 MVR 587

17.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$9.73 MVR 150

22.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.73 MVR 72.9

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 MVR 73.7

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$3.49 MVR 53.8

8.88%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$1.63 MVR 25.14

-19.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.31 MVR 4.80

177.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.98 MVR 30.50

-26.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$1.60 MVR 24.74

45.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$1.21 MVR 18.59

19.01%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$1.94 MVR 29.89

26.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$10.48 MVR 162

-26.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$6.01 MVR 92.7

31.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$9.67 MVR 149

32.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$4.05 MVR 62.5

-27.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$3.13 MVR 48.26

-54.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$3.98 MVR 61.4

-35.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$2.66 MVR 41.00

-19.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$2.02 MVR 31.10

-3.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.88 MVR 28.95

3.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$2.12 MVR 32.75

-45.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.61 MVR 9.47

100.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.24 MVR 189

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 MVR 41.39

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 MVR 29.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$15.01 MVR 231

-70.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$0.63 MVR 9.74

-17.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$30.22 MVR 466

-9.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$1.98 MVR 30.56

147.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$1.90 MVR 29.35

85.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$10.18 MVR 157

-44.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$0.99 MVR 15.24

55.56%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$32.9K MVR 506.6K

-35.35%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$28.8K MVR 443.6K

-14.87%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$117 MVR 1,808

-28.68%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$30.56 MVR 471

-21.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$71.8 MVR 1,107

-59.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$72.0 MVR 1,110

-9.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$34.45 MVR 531

-14.48%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$9.90 MVR 153

-48.59%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$185 MVR 2,860

11.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$3,048 MVR 47.0K

32.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$39.25 MVR 605

13.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$49.98 MVR 771

-15.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$85.8 MVR 1,323

-11.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$51.5 MVR 794

77.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$948 MVR 14.6K

4.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$709 MVR 10.9K

-45.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$2,035 MVR 31.4K

-15.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$1,524 MVR 23.5K

-27.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$2,282 MVR 35.2K

75.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$1,391 MVR 21.5K

349.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$837 MVR 12.9K

-9.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-18.21%

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 Male: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Male

$709 46.5% 84.2% $324

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Male

$233 15.3% 10.6% $27

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Male

$126 8.2% 38.4% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Male

$220 14.4% 60.3% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Male

$102 6.7% 10.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Male

$92 6% 22.3% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Male

$44 2.9% 15% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $986 in Playa del Carmen and $948 in Male. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Male pays 10% 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: $45.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $38.00 in Male for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $233 per month, with Male cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇻 Male

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

11:45 11:45 AM

10 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

103,693 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, 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 = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.29 MVR (100 MVR = 5.78 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Male 16,540 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Male

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 Male: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and utilities. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Male. 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: $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $948 in Male. 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 $1,524 in Male – a 25% 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 10% less than in Male. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,524 in Male, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Male. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Male, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Male 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 25% less than in Male. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.