Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nassau

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $4,276 in Nassau, rent and utilities included – about $36,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
210

Cost of Living Index in Nassau
Learn more

Nassau Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Nassau

🇧🇸 Bahamas

$4,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,276 in Nassau.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Nassau $4,276

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $6,846 in Nassau.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Nassau $6,846

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $9,416 in Nassau.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Nassau $9,416

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 72% less than in Nassau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 9% below, Nassau is 219% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$39.41 BSD 39.41

-72.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$199 BSD 199

-77.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$11.90 BSD 11.90

0.17%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$5.63 BSD 5.63

-32.50%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$3.32 BSD 3.32

-60.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$1.94 BSD 1.94

-55.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$4.99 BSD 4.99

-35.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$8.92 BSD 8.92

-43.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$4.04 BSD 4.04

-63.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$5.65 BSD 5.65

-58.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$6.88 BSD 6.88

-79.07%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$7.42 BSD 7.42

-66.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$10.53 BSD 10.53

-26.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$18.50 BSD 18.50

-57.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$26.89 BSD 26.89

-52.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$5.67 BSD 5.67

-48.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$3.56 BSD 3.56

-60.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$5.24 BSD 5.24

-50.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$10.54 BSD 10.54

-79.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$2.91 BSD 2.91

-32.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$5.45 BSD 5.45

-64.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$4.82 BSD 4.82

-76.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$2.82 BSD 2.82

-56.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$15.19 BSD 15.19

-71.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$34.45 BSD 34.45

-71.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$5.52 BSD 5.52

-72.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$4.85 BSD 4.85

-43.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$2.56 BSD 2.56

-79.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$153 BSD 153

-82.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$7.80 BSD 7.80

-37.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$3.04 BSD 3.04

15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$49.61 BSD 49.61

-88.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.55 BSD 1.55

-0.65%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$30.4K BSD 30.4K

-30.18%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$43.0K BSD 43.0K

-43.04%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$397 BSD 397

-78.95%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$72.6 BSD 72.6

-66.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$110 BSD 110

-73.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$195 BSD 195

-66.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$43.44 BSD 43.44

-32.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$19.95 BSD 19.95

-74.49%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$865 BSD 865

-75.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$16.7K BSD 16.7K

-75.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$48.13 BSD 48.13

-7.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$120 BSD 120

-64.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$128 BSD 128

-41.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$135 BSD 135

-32.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$1,487 BSD 1,487

-33.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$1,995 BSD 1,995

-80.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$4,733 BSD 4,733

-63.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$3,863 BSD 3,863

-71.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$5,409 BSD 5,409

-25.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$3,329 BSD 3,329

87.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$3,391 BSD 3,391

-77.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.38

55.15%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nassau: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Nassau

$2K 46% 418% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Nassau

$661 15.3% 154% $401

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Nassau

$482 11.1% 137% $278

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Nassau

$580 13.4% 323% $443

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Nassau

$194 4.5% 70% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Nassau

$235 5.4% 213% $160

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Nassau

$186 4.3% 257% $134

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $986 in Playa del Carmen and $1,487 in Nassau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nassau pays 347% 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: $45.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $199 in Nassau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $661 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇸 Nassau

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

08:15 8:15 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

259,300 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Bahamian Dollar BSD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 BSD = 1 USD

1 BSD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BSD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Bahamian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1 BSD (1 BSD = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 BSD (1 BSD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Nassau 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Nassau

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 Nassau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 252% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 347% lower in Nassau. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,487 in Nassau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $4,276 in Nassau – a 252% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 456% less than in Nassau. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,276 in Nassau, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Nassau. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nassau, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 252% less than in Nassau. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.