Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Moka

For one person, living is cheaper in Moka: $926 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Moka

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$926

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $926 in Moka, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Moka $926

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,538 in Moka, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Moka $1,538

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,149 in Moka, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Moka $2,149

Playa del Carmen costs about 30% more than Moka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Moka are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Moka 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$6.28 MUR 296

73.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$27.16 MUR 1,280

59.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.69 MUR 316

76.08%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$4.19 MUR 197

-9.07%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.08 MUR 50.8

18.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.31 MUR 14.39

151.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.59 MUR 122

22.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.14 MUR 148

57.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.73 MUR 81.4

-18.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.77 MUR 36.15

188.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.67 MUR 78.6

-14.97%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$3.04 MUR 143

-17.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$10.51 MUR 495

-26.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$14.71 MUR 693

-13.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.90 MUR 137

-4.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.67 MUR 78.7

-17.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$4.18 MUR 197

-39.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$4.27 MUR 201

-50.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.08 MUR 50.9

79.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.04 MUR 48.98

81.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.82 MUR 38.85

40.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.71 MUR 33.30

66.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$7.11 MUR 335

-39.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$14.64 MUR 690

-32.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.66 MUR 126

-40.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.11 MUR 146

-14.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.57 MUR 73.9

-8.28%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

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

$23.41 MX$439

$4.26 MUR 201

449.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$21.14 MUR 997

35.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$21.46 MUR 1,012

165.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$6.40 MUR 302

-19.69%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$108 MUR 5,072

91.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$61.1 MUR 2,878

-29.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$31.40 MUR 1,480

31.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$115 MUR 5,412

-35.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$84.5 MUR 3,983

5.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$524 MUR 24.7K

86.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$321 MUR 15.1K

18.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$917 MUR 43.2K

86.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$716 MUR 33.8K

50.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,062 MUR 50.1K

-30.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

90.83%

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 Moka: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Moka

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Moka

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Moka

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Moka

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Moka

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Moka

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Moka

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $524 in Moka. 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 45% higher in Moka, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $27 in Moka. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $269 in Moka – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇺 Moka

🕒 Local time

19:09 7:09 PM

04:09 4:09 AM

9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

9,364

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 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 = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 47.13 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.62 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Moka 16,330 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Moka

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 Moka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,390 in Moka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Moka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $524 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $926 in Moka. That makes Moka about 23% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $108 in Moka. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Moka – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.