Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Naga

For one person, living is cheaper in Naga: $552 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Naga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$552

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $552 in Naga.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Naga $552

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $845 in Naga.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Naga $845

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,138 in Naga.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Naga $1,138

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 118% more expensive than in Naga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Naga 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$5.10 ₱327

114.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$13.37 ₱855

224.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$2.77 ₱177

325.27%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.74 ₱175

39.05%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.67 ₱42.96

91.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.22 ₱14.05

254.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.31 ₱83.6

141.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$3.09 ₱198

59.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.95 ₱125

-27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$0.80 ₱51.1

177.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$0.77 ₱49.35

84.42%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.68 ₱107

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$10.06 ₱644

-27.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.12 ₱264

86.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$6.84 ₱438

85.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.90 ₱122

46.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.66 ₱106

-17.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$2.41 ₱154

5.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$2.37 ₱152

-10.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$2.53 ₱162

-23.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$2.21 ₱142

-14.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$4.63 ₱296

-75.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.60 ₱38.44

96.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$2.76 ₱177

55.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$3.77 ₱241

163.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.53 ₱97.8

3.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

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

$0.58 ₱36.89

756.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.19 ₱76.1

21.01%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$97.7 ₱6,253

-13.22%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$23.84 ₱1,526

-1.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$25.59 ₱1,638

12.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$7.73 ₱495

638.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$4.80 ₱307

7.08%

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

$207 MX$3,848

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$7,801 ₱499.2K

-49.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$158 ₱10.1K

518.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$85.9 ₱5,496

343.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$240 ₱15.4K

610.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$195 ₱12.5K

450.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$138 ₱8,857

430.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Naga: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Naga

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Naga

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Naga

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Naga

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Naga

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Naga

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Naga

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $158 in Naga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $13 in Naga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $202 per month, with Naga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Naga

🕒 Local time

03:19 3:19 AM

16:19 4:19 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

115,750

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.41 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Naga 14,970 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Naga

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 Naga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $552 in Naga, so Naga is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 5.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $158 in Naga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Naga – a meal for two runs $13 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $552 in Naga – Naga is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $552 in Naga versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Naga but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Naga 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 – Naga 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.