Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Molo

For one person, living is cheaper in Molo: $546 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Molo
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Molo Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Molo

🇰🇪 Kenya

$546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $546 in Molo.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Molo $546

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $893 in Molo.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Molo $893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,240 in Molo.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Molo $1,240

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 120% more expensive than in Molo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Molo 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$6.39 KES 829

70.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$34.32 KES 4,455

26.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.37 KES 826

84.93%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$2.63 KES 341

44.87%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$0.70 KES 91.3

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.61 KES 79.5

27.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$2.35 KES 305

34.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$2.67 KES 347

84.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$0.89 KES 115

58.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$0.59 KES 76.2

276.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$2.01 KES 261

-29.35%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$1.70 KES 221

48.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$10.99 KES 1,427

-33.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.42 KES 834

19.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$6.44 KES 836

97.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$3.47 KES 451

-19.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.08 KES 140

26.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$2.01 KES 260

26.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$1.15 KES 149

84.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$1.11 KES 144

74.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$1.06 KES 138

78.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$0.75 KES 97.4

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.75 KES 97.7

57.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$3.49 KES 453

23.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$11.33 KES 1,471

-12.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$2.29 KES 298

-31.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.77 KES 360

-3.61%

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

$1.55 KES 202

220.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$1.51 KES 196

120.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$2.93 KES 380

82.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.56 KES 202

-7.69%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$19.2K KES 2.5M

7.68%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$21.5K KES 2.8M

8.93%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$55.3 KES 7,179

53.30%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$15.06 KES 1,955

55.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$35.56 KES 4,616

-19.40%

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

$7.67 KES 996

-32.99%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$279 KES 36.2K

-25.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

-68.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$27.85 KES 3,615

55.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$28.87 KES 3,748

43.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$69.2 KES 8,985

7.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$58.4 KES 7,576

52.90%

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

$378 KES 49.0K

94.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

14.71

-22.16%

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 Molo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Molo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Molo

$209 38.2% 18.1% $46

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Molo

$124 22.7% 38.7% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Molo

$106 19.4% 22.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Molo

$83 15.2% 25.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Molo

$15 * 2.8% 77.2% $52

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Molo

$9.1 * 1.7% 82% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

Playa del Carmen pays 94% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $34 in Molo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $209 per month, with Molo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇪 Molo

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

19:49 7:49 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

48,356

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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 = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Molo 13,410 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Molo

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 Molo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Molo is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 94% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $546 in Molo – Molo is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $546 in Molo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Molo but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Molo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Molo wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.