Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mombasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $715 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $715 in Mombasa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Mombasa $715

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,138 in Mombasa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Mombasa $1,138

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,560 in Mombasa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Mombasa $1,560

Playa del Carmen costs about 68% more than Mombasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Mombasa are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Mombasa 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.63 KES 342

315.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$24.66 KES 3,201

75.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.51 KES 1,364

12.08%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.71 KES 351

40.59%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.74 KES 95.5

72.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.48 KES 62.3

62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.33 KES 303

36.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.26 KES 423

51.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$0.92 KES 119

53.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.50 KES 64.3

344.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.57 KES 204

-9.55%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.82 KES 236

38.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$13.98 KES 1,814

-48.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$4.89 KES 635

57.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$5.25 KES 682

141.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.16 KES 280

28.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.14 KES 148

20.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.84 KES 239

38.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$0.71 KES 92.4

198.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.69 KES 88.9

181.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.02 KES 132

85.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.59 KES 77.0

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.42 KES 55.1

180.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$3.97 KES 515

8.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$9.51 KES 1,234

4.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.98 KES 257

-20.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.94 KES 382

-9.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.81 KES 105

-32.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$38.41 KES 4,986

-30.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$3.16 KES 410

57.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.70 KES 221

95.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$4.61 KES 598

16.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.53 KES 199

-5.88%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$12.2K KES 1.6M

69.42%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$11.9K KES 1.5M

97.68%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$76.8 KES 9,962

10.48%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$9.07 KES 1,177

158.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$34.36 KES 4,460

-16.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$17.66 KES 2,292

223.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$19.32 KES 2,508

49.64%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$15.26 KES 1,980

-66.32%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$86.7 KES 11.3K

138.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$5,484 KES 711.9K

-28.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$12.89 KES 1,673

236.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$13.50 KES 1,752

206.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$23.07 KES 2,995

221.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$46.74 KES 6,067

90.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$229 KES 29.7K

327.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$157 KES 20.4K

142.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$535 KES 69.4K

219.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$368 KES 47.7K

192.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$5,457 KES 708.4K

-27.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$3,881 KES 503.8K

58.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$317 KES 41.1K

131.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-11.92%

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 Mombasa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Mombasa

$157 22% 58.7% $224

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Mombasa

$185 25.8% 27.5% $70

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Mombasa

$108 15.1% 46.6% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Mombasa

$120 16.8% 12.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Mombasa

$43 6.1% 61.2% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Mombasa

$48 6.7% 28.4% $19

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Mombasa

$53 7.5% 5.6% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $229 in Mombasa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $25 in Mombasa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $185 – making Mombasa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

10:33 10:33 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,300,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 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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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mombasa 13,980 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mombasa

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 Mombasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $715 in Mombasa – Mombasa comes out roughly 41% 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 $1,073 in Mombasa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mombasa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $229 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $25 in Mombasa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $715 in Mombasa. That makes Mombasa about 41% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Mombasa, where all-in costs run around $715, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Mombasa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mombasa – 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 Mombasa. 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.