Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Midlands

For one person, living is cheaper in Midlands: $623 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Midlands
Learn more

Midlands Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Midlands

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $623 in Midlands, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Midlands $623

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,044 in Midlands, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Midlands $1,044

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,465 in Midlands, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Midlands $1,465

Playa del Carmen costs about 93% more than Midlands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Midlands are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Midlands 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.77 MUR 269

89.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$38.11 MUR 1,775

13.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.41 MUR 345

58.97%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$2.63 MUR 122

44.87%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.19 MUR 55.3

7.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.64 MUR 29.67

21.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$2.73 MUR 127

16.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$4.86 MUR 227

1.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.61 MUR 75.1

-12.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$0.73 MUR 33.99

204.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.10 MUR 51.2

29.09%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$2.57 MUR 119

-1.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$5.38 MUR 251

34.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.27 MUR 292

22.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$11.11 MUR 518

14.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$2.78 MUR 130

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$2.68 MUR 125

-48.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$1.39 MUR 64.9

83.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$3.00 MUR 140

-29.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$0.94 MUR 43.60

106.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$1.01 MUR 46.82

87.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$0.75 MUR 35.07

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.86 MUR 40.07

37.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$6.64 MUR 309

-35.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$8.24 MUR 384

20.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.72 MUR 80.0

-8.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.39 MUR 112

11.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$4.30 MUR 200

15.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$3.27 MUR 152

1.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$20.93 MUR 975

-74.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.37 MUR 63.7

5.11%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$36.0K MUR 1.7M

-42.58%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$31.3K MUR 1.5M

-24.95%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$44.87 MUR 2,090

88.97%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$10.80 MUR 503

116.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$28.85 MUR 1,344

-0.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$6.36 MUR 296

-19.18%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$125 MUR 5,839

64.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$7,801 MUR 363.4K

-49.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$76.9 MUR 3,584

-43.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$73.1 MUR 3,406

-43.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$121 MUR 5,659

-38.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$76.8 MUR 3,575

16.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.67

71.66%

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 Midlands: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Midlands

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Midlands

$217 34.9% 14.6% $37

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Midlands

$131 21% 35.5% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Midlands

$85 13.6% 38.2% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Midlands

$157 25.2% 40.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Midlands

$13 * 2% 81.1% $55

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Midlands

$21 * 3.3% 59.1% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $38 in Midlands. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $217 – making Midlands the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇺 Midlands

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

00:16 12:16 AM

9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

4,546

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MUR = 2.15 USD

100 MUR = 1.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 52.21 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Midlands 16,340 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Midlands

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 Midlands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 93% more than Midlands, 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 $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $934 in Midlands. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $623 in Midlands. That makes Midlands about 48% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $125 in Midlands. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Midlands, where all-in costs run around $623, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Midlands it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $623 in Midlands to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.