Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mossel Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Mossel Bay: $1,094 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Mossel Bay
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Mossel Bay Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Mossel Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Mossel Bay

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,094 in Mossel Bay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Mossel Bay $1,094

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,720 in Mossel Bay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Mossel Bay $1,720

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,346 in Mossel Bay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Mossel Bay $2,346

Playa del Carmen costs about 10% more than Mossel Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Mossel Bay are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Mossel Bay 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$14.39 R 239

-24.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$48.69 R 809

-10.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$8.51 R 141

38.43%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$2.56 R 42.59

48.83%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$1.39 R 23.08

-7.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$0.95 R 15.72

-17.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$2.45 R 40.62

29.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$2.97 R 49.40

65.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$1.10 R 18.19

28.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$1.07 R 17.84

107.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$2.68 R 44.51

-47.01%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$3.14 R 52.1

-19.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.54 R 158

-23.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.28 R 87.7

45.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$7.90 R 131

60.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$1.94 R 32.17

43.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.31 R 21.83

4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$1.78 R 29.58

43.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$2.02 R 33.62

4.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$1.45 R 24.01

33.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$1.70 R 28.17

11.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$1.21 R 20.13

-4.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$1.22 R 20.21

-3.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$3.71 R 61.7

15.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$4.92 R 81.7

102.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$2.06 R 34.16

-23.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$1.87 R 30.97

42.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$1.37 R 22.70

-59.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$0.62 R 10.22

701.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$0.89 R 14.72

274.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$11.37 R 189

-52.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$1.44 R 23.86

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$28.6K R 475.0K

-27.76%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$27.1K R 449.4K

-13.29%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$109 R 1,804

-21.96%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$17.95 R 298

30.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$42.87 R 712

-33.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$21.03 R 349

171.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

$10.91 R 181

164.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$7.18 R 119

-28.41%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$275 R 4,572

-24.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$5,404 R 89.7K

-27.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$47.97 R 797

-9.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$21.02 R 349

97.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$98.6 R 1,638

-24.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$66.6 R 1,105

34.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$503 R 8,348

94.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$364 R 6,049

4.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$1,033 R 17.2K

65.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$686 R 11.4K

56.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

$597 R 9,910

560.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$610 R 10.1K

909.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

$1,505 R 25.0K

-51.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.75

-2.55%

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 Mossel Bay: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Mossel Bay

$364 33.3% 4.3% $17

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Mossel Bay

$210 19.2% 17.7% $45

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Mossel Bay

$199 18.2% 1.7% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Mossel Bay

$169 15.5% 23.8% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Mossel Bay

$105 9.6% 5.7% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Mossel Bay

$35 3.2% 47.4% $32

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Mossel Bay

$11 * 1% 79.1% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $503 in Mossel Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mossel Bay are about 2 times higher, 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 $49 in Mossel Bay. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $210 in Mossel Bay – so Mossel Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Mossel Bay

🕒 Local time

01:59 1:59 AM

08:59 8:59 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

60,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mossel Bay 13,000 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mossel Bay

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 Mossel Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,094 in Mossel Bay – Mossel Bay comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,640 in Mossel Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mossel Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $503 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $49 in Mossel Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,094 in Mossel Bay, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,094 in Mossel Bay to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.