Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mambajao

For one person, living is cheaper in Mambajao: $497 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Mambajao
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Mambajao Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Mambajao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$497

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $497 in Mambajao, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Mambajao $497

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $799 in Mambajao, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Mambajao $799

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,101 in Mambajao, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Mambajao $1,101

Playa del Carmen costs about 142% more than Mambajao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Mambajao are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Mambajao 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$1.36 ₱86.2

684.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$15.81 ₱1,005

177.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$3.20 ₱204

268.44%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.18 ₱138

73.85%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.38 ₱24.00

242.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.28 ₱17.85

196.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$0.94 ₱59.6

235.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.11 ₱70.8

344.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.84 ₱53.1

67.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.57 ₱36.53

285.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.67 ₱42.84

119.40%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$1.20 ₱76.4

108.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$5.43 ₱345

34.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.17 ₱265

90.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$5.59 ₱355

130.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.28 ₱145

27.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.50 ₱95.3

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$2.39 ₱152

4.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$1.12 ₱71.4

81.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$1.23 ₱78.4

64.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.20 ₱140

-13.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.09 ₱69.1

4.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.52 ₱33.36

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.91 ₱185

46.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$7.44 ₱473

31.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.01 ₱64.5

57.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.15 ₱73.1

139.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.21 ₱13.06

142.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$12.49 ₱794

119.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.76 ₱48.14

526.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.22 ₱13.99

1377.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$1.86 ₱118

189.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.23 ₱78.3

24.39%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

1.34%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

20.75%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$63.3 ₱4,025

31.87%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$15.26 ₱970

51.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$19.19 ₱1,220

43.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$30.84 ₱1,961

82.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$5.33 ₱339

428.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$5.00 ₱318

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

$207 MX$3,854

$128 ₱8,160

61.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$7,987 ₱507.8K

-34.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$32.01 ₱2,035

35.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$19.38 ₱1,232

119.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$69.5 ₱4,415

4.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$55.5 ₱3,526

59.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$96.7 ₱6,150

928.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$55.8 ₱3,545

585.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$235 ₱15.0K

611.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$154 ₱9,779

602.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,632 ₱167.3K

48.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,104 ₱70.2K

455.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$150 ₱9,530

455.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.92

65.46%

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 Mambajao: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Mambajao

$56 11.2% 85.4% $327

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Mambajao

$152 30.6% 40.9% $105

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Mambajao

$56 11.3% 72% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Mambajao

$98 19.7% 27.2% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Mambajao

$79 16% 28.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Mambajao

$41 8.2% 38.5% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Mambajao

$15 3.1% 69.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $97 in Mambajao. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $16 in Mambajao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $152 – making Mambajao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Mambajao

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

07:50 7:50 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

41,094

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mambajao 15,210 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mambajao

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 Mambajao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 142% more than Mambajao, 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 $746 in Mambajao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mambajao, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $97 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $497 in Mambajao. That makes Mambajao about 59% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Mambajao. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mambajao, where all-in costs run around $497, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Mambajao it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mambajao – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Mambajao. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.