Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nagua

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagua: $643 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most 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

Nagua

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $643 in Nagua, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Nagua $643

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,035 in Nagua, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Nagua $1,035

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,427 in Nagua, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Nagua $1,427

Playa del Carmen costs about 87% more than Nagua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Nagua are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Nagua 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$7.94 DOP 479

37.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$41.57 DOP 2,509

4.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.07 DOP 426

66.62%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.80 DOP 109

111.67%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.66 DOP 39.85

93.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.40 DOP 24.17

95.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.51 DOP 152

26.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.05 DOP 244

21.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.15 DOP 69.3

22.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.70 DOP 102

30.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.47 DOP 88.4

-3.40%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.47 DOP 89.0

71.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$6.08 DOP 367

19.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$3.53 DOP 213

118.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$4.76 DOP 287

166.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.69 DOP 223

-24.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.42 DOP 85.9

-3.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$3.33 DOP 201

-23.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$2.22 DOP 134

-4.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$3.51 DOP 212

-44.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.93 DOP 177

-35.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.86 DOP 51.7

33.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.57 DOP 94.9

-24.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$4.66 DOP 281

-7.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$16.20 DOP 978

-38.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$2.86 DOP 173

-44.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.46 DOP 209

-22.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$2.52 DOP 152

97.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$3.35 DOP 202

-0.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.44 DOP 87.0

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$14.8K DOP 894.4K

39.43%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$25.3K DOP 1.5M

-7.31%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$94.5 DOP 5,700

-10.23%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$26.78 DOP 1,616

-12.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$38.59 DOP 2,329

-25.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$4.90 DOP 296

4.90%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$146 DOP 8,832

41.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$5,401 DOP 326.0K

-27.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$25.67 DOP 1,549

68.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$44.50 DOP 2,686

-6.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$62.3 DOP 3,760

19.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$64.9 DOP 3,915

37.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.09%

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 Nagua: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Nagua

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Nagua

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Nagua

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Nagua

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Nagua

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Nagua

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Nagua

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $42 in Nagua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $234 – making Nagua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇴 Nagua

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

03:33 3:33 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

79,420

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, 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).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 60.35 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.35 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Nagua 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Nagua

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 Nagua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $643 in Nagua – Nagua comes out roughly 47% 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 $965 in Nagua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $146 in Nagua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $643 in Nagua. That makes Nagua about 47% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Nagua, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Nagua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $643 in Nagua to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.