Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mandaluyong

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandaluyong: $1,066 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Mandaluyong
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Mandaluyong Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Mandaluyong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,066

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,066 in Mandaluyong.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Mandaluyong $1,066

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,643 in Mandaluyong.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Mandaluyong $1,643

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,221 in Mandaluyong.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Mandaluyong $2,221

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 13% more expensive than in Mandaluyong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Mandaluyong 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$4.81 ₱308

127.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$16.11 ₱1,031

169.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$3.48 ₱223

238.51%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.20 ₱141

73.18%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.96 ₱61.4

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.49 ₱31.11

59.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.16 ₱74.2

173.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$2.33 ₱149

111.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.65 ₱105

-14.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.31 ₱84.0

69.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$0.94 ₱60.3

51.06%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.19 ₱140

15.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$5.07 ₱324

43.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.78 ₱306

61.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$6.81 ₱436

86.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.30 ₱211

-15.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.89 ₱121

-27.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$3.00 ₱192

-15.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.80 ₱115

17.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$2.21 ₱141

-12.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$2.56 ₱164

-26.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.62 ₱39.41

85.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.48 ₱30.96

145.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$2.81 ₱180

53.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$8.55 ₱547

16.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$0.88 ₱56.1

79.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.02 ₱129

32.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.32 ₱20.62

71.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$13.10 ₱838

103.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.76 ₱48.46

553.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.24 ₱15.40

1287.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$1.90 ₱121

182.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.20 ₱76.6

20.00%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

-2.02%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

25.11%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$138 ₱8,853

-38.71%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$17.04 ₱1,090

37.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$23.94 ₱1,532

19.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$31.69 ₱2,028

80.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$6.03 ₱386

-14.76%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$132 ₱8,442

56.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$8,937 ₱571.9K

-56.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$27.86 ₱1,783

55.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$27.00 ₱1,728

53.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$70.5 ₱4,512

5.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$55.2 ₱3,534

61.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$727 ₱46.5K

34.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$457 ₱29.3K

-16.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$2,395 ₱153.3K

-28.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$996 ₱63.7K

7.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$4,203 ₱269.0K

-6.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$2,924 ₱187.1K

110.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$537 ₱34.4K

36.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.75

69.63%

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 Mandaluyong: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Mandaluyong

$457 42.9% 20.1% $77

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Mandaluyong

$196 18.4% 23% $59

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Mandaluyong

$92 8.6% 54.7% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Mandaluyong

$179 16.8% 31% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Mandaluyong

$81 7.6% 27.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Mandaluyong

$44 4.1% 35% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Mandaluyong

$16 1.5% 67.6% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $727 in Mandaluyong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 37% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $16 in Mandaluyong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $196 per month, with Mandaluyong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Mandaluyong

🕒 Local time

21:16 9:16 PM

10:16 10:16 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

425,758

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.24 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mandaluyong

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 Mandaluyong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,066 in Mandaluyong, so Mandaluyong is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 37% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $727 in Mandaluyong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mandaluyong – a meal for two runs $16 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Mandaluyong gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Mandaluyong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.