Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Niamey

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,328 in Niamey, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Niamey outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Niamey
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Niamey Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Niamey

🇳🇪 Niger

$1,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,328 in Niamey.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Niamey $1,328

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,710 in Niamey.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Niamey $1,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,092 in Niamey.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Niamey $2,092

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 9% less than in Niamey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Niamey 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$6.26 F CFA 3,666

74.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$38.28 F CFA 22.4K

13.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$9.50 F CFA 5,560

24.00%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$3.15 F CFA 1,842

20.95%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$1.40 F CFA 821

-8.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$0.92 F CFA 538

-15.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$1.29 F CFA 757

145.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$2.97 F CFA 1,737

65.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$2.42 F CFA 1,415

-41.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$0.56 F CFA 327

296.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$1.68 F CFA 982

-15.48%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$2.11 F CFA 1,237

19.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.13 F CFA 3,591

25.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$7.88 F CFA 4,612

61.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$3.32 F CFA 1,945

-16.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.57 F CFA 921

-12.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$2.80 F CFA 1,639

-8.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$1.68 F CFA 986

26.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$1.45 F CFA 846

33.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$0.65 F CFA 381

190.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$0.87 F CFA 509

32.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$1.04 F CFA 610

13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$2.53 F CFA 1,482

69.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$13.57 F CFA 7,948

-26.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$1.34 F CFA 787

17.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$3.43 F CFA 2,009

-22.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$0.33 F CFA 191

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$0.44 F CFA 260

1029.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$0.33 F CFA 192

909.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$8.74 F CFA 5,117

-38.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$0.96 F CFA 561

50.00%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$20.7K F CFA 12.1M

-0.20%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$24.1K F CFA 14.1M

-2.55%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$168 F CFA 98.4K

-49.56%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$17.22 F CFA 10.1K

35.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$84.7 F CFA 49.6K

-66.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$75.2 F CFA 44.1K

-24.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$5.06 F CFA 2,965

1.58%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$1,032 F CFA 604.5K

-79.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$4,255 F CFA 2.5M

-7.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$67.6 F CFA 39.6K

-35.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$84.1 F CFA 49.2K

-50.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$50.6 F CFA 29.6K

46.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$68.8 F CFA 40.3K

29.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$938 F CFA 549.4K

4.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$502 F CFA 294.2K

-24.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$799 F CFA 467.7K

113.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$423 F CFA 247.6K

154.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

$1,711 F CFA 1.0M

130.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$967 F CFA 566.4K

536.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

$385 F CFA 225.5K

90.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

27.22%

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 Niamey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Niamey

$502 37.8% 31.9% $122

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Niamey

$207 * 15.6% 18.7% $48

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Niamey

$138 10.4% 31.8% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Niamey

$270 20.3% 97.3% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Niamey

$122 9.2% 9.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Niamey

$85 6.4% 26.8% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Niamey

$3.4 * 0.3% 93.3% $47

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 $980 in Playa del Carmen and $938 in Niamey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 91% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $38 in Niamey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $207 per month, with Niamey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇪 Niamey

🕒 Local time

00:14 12:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,026,848 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, 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).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 586 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Niamey 9,400 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Niamey

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 Niamey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Niamey. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 91% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $938 in Niamey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Niamey pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,328 in Niamey – Playa del Carmen is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.