Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Marawi

For one person, living is cheaper in Marawi: $718 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Marawi
Learn more

Marawi Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Marawi

🇵🇭 Philippines

$718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $718 in Marawi.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Marawi $718

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,100 in Marawi.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Marawi $1,100

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,482 in Marawi.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Marawi $1,482

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 68% more expensive than in Marawi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Marawi 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.97 ₱252

168.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$16.15 ₱1,025

171.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$2.72 ₱173

333.46%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.13 ₱135

77.93%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.69 ₱43.55

88.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.33 ₱21.10

151.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.20 ₱76.3

162.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.02 ₱128

144.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.64 ₱104

-14.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.09 ₱69.0

101.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.89 ₱56.2

65.17%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.86 ₱118

34.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$5.51 ₱350

32.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.21 ₱267

88.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.15 ₱453

79.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.40 ₱152

20.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.56 ₱98.9

-11.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$2.33 ₱148

6.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.16 ₱73.5

75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$2.12 ₱134

-4.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.19 ₱139

-13.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.09 ₱68.9

4.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.56 ₱35.58

121.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.85 ₱181

49.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$7.30 ₱463

34.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$0.93 ₱58.8

70.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.91 ₱121

43.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.24 ₱15.26

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$12.57 ₱797

117.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.80 ₱50.5

495.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.20 ₱12.66

1525.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$1.87 ₱118

188.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.17 ₱74.5

30.77%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$21.3K ₱1.4M

-0.40%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

21.29%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$119 ₱7,578

-30.10%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$15.62 ₱991

48.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$24.25 ₱1,538

13.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$30.78 ₱1,953

83.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$5.09 ₱323

453.83%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$5.17 ₱328

-3.29%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$130 ₱8,234

59.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$7,809 ₱495.4K

-33.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$32.78 ₱2,080

32.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$19.34 ₱1,227

119.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$71.5 ₱4,537

1.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$54.6 ₱3,461

61.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$248 ₱15.7K

300.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$164 ₱10.4K

133.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$497 ₱31.6K

236.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$352 ₱22.3K

207.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,638 ₱167.4K

48.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,089 ₱69.1K

463.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$277 ₱17.6K

200.84%

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 Marawi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Marawi

$164 22.8% 57.2% $219

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Marawi

$179 24.9% 30.6% $79

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Marawi

$80 11.1% 60.3% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Marawi

$159 22.2% 18.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Marawi

$80 11.2% 27.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Marawi

$41 5.7% 38.1% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Marawi

$15 2.1% 69.6% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $248 in Marawi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $16 in Marawi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $179 per month, with Marawi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Marawi

🕒 Local time

10:54 10:54 AM

23:54 11:54 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

207,010

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.44 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.03 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Marawi 15,340 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Marawi

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 Marawi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $718 in Marawi, so Marawi is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 3 times higher, 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $248 in Marawi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $718 in Marawi – Marawi is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Marawi runs roughly 54% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $718 in Marawi versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Marawi but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Marawi 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 Marawi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.