Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Moca

For one person, living is cheaper in Moca: $589 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Moca
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Moca Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Moca

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $589 in Moca, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Moca $589

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $954 in Moca, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Moca $954

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,319 in Moca, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Moca $1,319

Playa del Carmen costs about 104% more than Moca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Moca are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Moca 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$7.95 DOP 487

37.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$40.68 DOP 2,492

6.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.07 DOP 433

66.62%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.75 DOP 107

117.71%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.66 DOP 40.29

93.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.38 DOP 23.22

105.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.42 DOP 148

30.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.25 DOP 199

51.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.20 DOP 73.7

17.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.56 DOP 95.5

42.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.49 DOP 91.0

-4.70%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.50 DOP 91.9

68.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.08 DOP 372

19.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.62 DOP 222

112.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$4.63 DOP 284

174.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.07 DOP 188

-9.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$0.77 DOP 47.16

77.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$2.66 DOP 163

-4.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.77 DOP 108

19.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$2.03 DOP 125

-4.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.16 DOP 132

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.88 DOP 54.1

30.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.00 DOP 61.0

18.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$4.73 DOP 290

-9.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.08 DOP 617

-1.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$2.61 DOP 160

-39.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.87 DOP 176

-6.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.50 DOP 153

98.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$2.27 DOP 139

46.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$5.84 DOP 358

-8.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.38 DOP 84.7

4.35%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$14.5K DOP 885.0K

43.01%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$26.0K DOP 1.6M

-9.59%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$90.9 DOP 5,568

-6.75%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$26.15 DOP 1,601

-10.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$35.76 DOP 2,190

-19.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$5.03 DOP 308

2.19%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$148 DOP 9,073

39.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$5,318 DOP 325.7K

-26.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$26.41 DOP 1,617

64.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$45.27 DOP 2,772

-8.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$60.6 DOP 3,708

22.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$66.6 DOP 4,079

33.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.09%

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 Moca: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Moca

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Moca

$194 33% 23.8% $61

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Moca

$129 21.8% 36.5% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Moca

$153 26% 11.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Moca

$89 15.2% 19.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Moca

$10 * 1.7% 85% $57

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Moca

$14 * 2.4% 72.6% $37

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 $41 in Moca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $194 – making Moca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇴 Moca

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

172,294

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 61.24 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Moca 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Moca

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 Moca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $589 in Moca – roughly 104% apart. 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 $884 in Moca. 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 $589 in Moca. That’s a gap of about 104%.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $148 in Moca. 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 Moca, where all-in costs run around $589, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Moca 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 $589 in Moca to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.