Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nyeri

For one person, living is cheaper in Nyeri: $504 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Nyeri
Learn more

Nyeri Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Nyeri

🇰🇪 Kenya

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $504 in Nyeri.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Nyeri $504

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $864 in Nyeri.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Nyeri $864

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,225 in Nyeri.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Nyeri $1,225

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 139% more expensive than in Nyeri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Nyeri 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$4.73 KES 615

130.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$34.14 KES 4,433

27.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$6.48 KES 842

81.79%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.95 KES 253

95.38%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.30 KES 38.61

326.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.56 KES 73.2

39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.30 KES 298

37.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.73 KES 354

80.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.48 KES 62.8

193.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.52 KES 67.6

326.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$0.91 KES 119

56.04%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.74 KES 226

44.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$10.86 KES 1,411

-33.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.24 KES 810

23.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$4.69 KES 609

170.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$0.75 KES 97.4

270.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$0.56 KES 73.1

144.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$0.72 KES 93.7

254.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$0.30 KES 38.52

606.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.22 KES 28.38

781.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.47 KES 61.1

302.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.69 KES 89.2

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.52 KES 67.8

126.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$1.57 KES 204

173.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.76 KES 1,527

-15.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$2.23 KES 290

-29.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.81 KES 365

-4.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.75 KES 97.0

-26.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$15.54 KES 2,018

71.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.55 KES 202

220.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.12 KES 145

197.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$1.12 KES 145

378.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.42 KES 184

1.41%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$19.3K KES 2.5M

7.15%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$21.6K KES 2.8M

8.73%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$15.58 KES 2,023

444.22%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$11.77 KES 1,528

98.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$34.65 KES 4,500

-17.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$34.01 KES 4,416

67.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$45.88 KES 5,958

-36.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$7.74 KES 1,005

-33.59%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$274 KES 35.5K

-24.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

-68.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$11.45 KES 1,487

278.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$13.92 KES 1,807

197.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$34.51 KES 4,482

115.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$18.99 KES 2,467

369.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$94.1 KES 12.2K

941.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$68.9 KES 8,943

452.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$194 KES 25.2K

780.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$155 KES 20.2K

592.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$231 KES 30.0K

217.63%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Nyeri: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Nyeri

$69 13.7% 81.9% $312

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Nyeri

$161 32% 36.8% $94

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Nyeri

$101 20.1% 50.1% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Nyeri

$62 12.3% 54.7% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Nyeri

$35 7.1% 68.2% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Nyeri

$49 9.8% 26.5% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Nyeri

$26 5.1% 49.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $94 in Nyeri. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $34 in Nyeri for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $161 per month, with Nyeri cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇪 Nyeri

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

02:47 2:47 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

98,908

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Nyeri 13,540 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Nyeri

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 Nyeri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $504 in Nyeri, so Nyeri is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 3.2 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 $94 in Nyeri. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nyeri – a meal for two runs $34 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $504 in Nyeri versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Nyeri but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Nyeri 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.

Expats usually find Nyeri gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.