Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Marikina

For one person, living is cheaper in Marikina: $689 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $689 in Marikina, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Marikina $689

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,068 in Marikina, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Marikina $1,068

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,447 in Marikina, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Marikina $1,447

Playa del Carmen costs about 75% more than Marikina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Marikina are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Marikina 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$3.94 ₱251

177.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$31.68 ₱2,019

36.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$3.21 ₱205

266.98%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.18 ₱139

74.77%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.59 ₱37.91

116.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.31 ₱19.59

151.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.03 ₱65.4

207.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.42 ₱154

103.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.80 ₱115

-21.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.26 ₱80.0

76.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.00 ₱63.6

42.00%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.00 ₱127

26.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$6.91 ₱440

5.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$4.15 ₱264

85.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$6.74 ₱429

88.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.32 ₱148

19.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.00 ₱127

-31.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.38 ₱152

7.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$2.30 ₱147

-7.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.38 ₱152

-18.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$3.53 ₱225

-46.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.06 ₱67.3

8.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.68 ₱43.09

73.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$2.83 ₱180

51.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.56 ₱545

16.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$0.95 ₱60.7

66.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.96 ₱125

36.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.48 ₱30.69

14.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$0.68 ₱43.44

630.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.21 ₱13.35

1485.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$1.90 ₱121

182.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.18 ₱75.5

22.03%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$20.8K ₱1.3M

-0.52%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$18.7K ₱1.2M

25.22%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$135 ₱8,620

-37.32%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$15.48 ₱987

51.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$27.51 ₱1,753

4.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$36.07 ₱2,298

58.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$6.83 ₱435

-24.74%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$131 ₱8,367

57.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$7,188 ₱458.0K

-45.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$58.3 ₱3,713

-25.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$27.72 ₱1,766

49.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$73.3 ₱4,672

1.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$55.3 ₱3,524

61.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$177 ₱11.3K

452.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$78.7 ₱5,017

383.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$318 ₱20.2K

437.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$138 ₱8,793

679.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$1,099 ₱70.0K

258.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$467 ₱29.8K

1218.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$384 ₱24.4K

91.44%

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 Marikina: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Marikina

$79 11.4% 79.3% $302

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Marikina

$201 29.2% 21% $54

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Marikina

$81 11.7% 60% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Marikina

$178 25.9% 30.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Marikina

$97 14% 13.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Marikina

$50 7.2% 26.1% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Marikina

$3.7 * 0.5% 92.7% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $177 in Marikina. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 91% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $32 in Marikina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $201 – making Marikina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Marikina

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

19:53 7:53 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

456,059

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Marikina 15,030 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Marikina

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 Marikina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $689 in Marikina – Marikina comes out roughly 43% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,034 in Marikina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Marikina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $177 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $689 in Marikina. That makes Marikina about 43% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $131 in Marikina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Marikina, where all-in costs run around $689, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Marikina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Marikina – 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 Marikina. 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.