Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nanyuki

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanyuki: $606 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Nanyuki
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Nanyuki Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Nanyuki

🇰🇪 Kenya

$606

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $606 in Nanyuki.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Nanyuki $606

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,014 in Nanyuki.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Nanyuki $1,014

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,422 in Nanyuki.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Nanyuki $1,422

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 100% more expensive than in Nanyuki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Nanyuki 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$6.47 KES 838

66.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$34.36 KES 4,455

25.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$6.46 KES 838

82.51%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.65 KES 343

46.04%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.67 KES 86.3

104.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.57 KES 73.5

47.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.25 KES 291

37.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.64 KES 342

92.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$0.92 KES 119

56.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$0.56 KES 72.9

298.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.13 KES 147

30.09%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.70 KES 221

48.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$10.69 KES 1,386

-31.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$6.40 KES 830

22.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$6.17 KES 800

107.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.27 KES 423

-11.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.09 KES 141

32.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.95 KES 253

30.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.11 KES 143

85.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.12 KES 145

78.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.04 KES 135

93.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.74 KES 95.4

60.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.75 KES 96.8

68.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.51 KES 455

25.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$11.59 KES 1,502

-17.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.22 KES 288

-28.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.81 KES 365

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.57 KES 204

217.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.57 KES 204

122.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$2.98 KES 386

81.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.59 KES 206

-7.55%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$21.9K KES 2.8M

-4.05%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$20.5K KES 2.7M

16.64%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$56.2 KES 7,288

49.81%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$14.87 KES 1,927

61.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$34.63 KES 4,489

-16.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$7.54 KES 977

-34.48%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$253 KES 32.8K

-19.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$12.1K KES 1.6M

-67.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$27.78 KES 3,601

56.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$29.61 KES 3,838

45.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$70.9 KES 9,186

6.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$58.9 KES 7,630

50.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$78.2 KES 10.1K

1190.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$64.9 KES 8,408

476.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$233 KES 30.2K

633.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$192 KES 24.9K

476.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$116 KES 15.1K

548.22%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Nanyuki: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Nanyuki

$65 10.7% 82.7% $309

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Nanyuki

$202 33.4% 21.8% $56

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Nanyuki

$124 20.5% 38.5% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Nanyuki

$106 17.5% 23% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Nanyuki

$84 13.9% 25.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Nanyuki

$15 * 2.5% 79.3% $58

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Nanyuki

$9.4 * 1.6% 82.1% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $78.2 in Nanyuki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 548% 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: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $34.00 in Nanyuki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $202 per month, with Nanyuki cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇪 Nanyuki

🕒 Local time

14:35 2:35 PM

22:35 10:35 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

32,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Nanyuki 13,530 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Nanyuki

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 Nanyuki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nanyuki wins on cost – living expenses run 100% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nanyuki the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 548% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $78.2 in Nanyuki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $606 in Nanyuki – a 100% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $606 in Nanyuki versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nanyuki but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Nanyuki the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nanyuki delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $606 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nanyuki hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Nanyuki gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.