Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Marigot

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,312 in Marigot, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Marigot outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
167

Cost of Living Index in Marigot
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Marigot Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Marigot

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$2,312

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,312 in Marigot.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Marigot $2,312

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,362 in Marigot.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Marigot $4,362

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $6,412 in Marigot.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Marigot $6,412

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 48% less than in Marigot, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Marigot is 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.50 ANG 2.68

-16.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

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

$23.99 MX$443

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

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

$204 MX$3,763

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$2,336 ANG 4,181

-56.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$2,294 ANG 4,106

-83.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$6,598 ANG 11.8K

-74.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$6,379 ANG 11.4K

-82.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$3,005 ANG 5,380

-74.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Marigot: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Marigot

$2.3K 99.2% 513% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Marigot

$18 * 0.8% 93.1% $240

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Marigot

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Marigot

- * 0% 100%

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Marigot

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Marigot

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Marigot

- * 0% 100%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $2,336 in Marigot. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marigot pays 298% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇽 Marigot

🕒 Local time

22:42 10:42 PM

23:42 11:42 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

36,286

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.497 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.497 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Marigot 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Marigot

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 Marigot: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Marigot differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($1,210 vs $2,312 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 298% lower in Marigot. 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,336 in Marigot. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Marigot pay roughly 1339% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,312 in Marigot – a 91% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,312 in Marigot, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Marigot. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Marigot. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.