Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Olongapo

For one person, living is cheaper in Olongapo: $694 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Olongapo
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Olongapo Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Olongapo

🇵🇭 Philippines

$694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $694 in Olongapo.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Olongapo $694

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,056 in Olongapo.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Olongapo $1,056

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,418 in Olongapo.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Olongapo $1,418

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 74% more expensive than in Olongapo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Olongapo 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$4.02 ₱257

171.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$16.23 ₱1,037

167.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$2.73 ₱174

331.50%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.82 ₱116

109.34%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.54 ₱34.62

137.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.33 ₱21.11

136.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.03 ₱65.7

207.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$1.44 ₱92.2

242.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.67 ₱106

-15.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.41 ₱25.98

441.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$0.82 ₱52.2

73.17%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.90 ₱121

32.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$4.89 ₱312

48.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$2.52 ₱161

205.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$7.80 ₱498

62.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.25 ₱144

23.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$0.97 ₱62.1

41.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$2.38 ₱152

7.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.05 ₱67.1

101.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.65 ₱105

17.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.74 ₱111

8.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.62 ₱39.61

85.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.41 ₱26.15

187.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.97 ₱190

44.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$8.34 ₱533

19.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$0.87 ₱55.9

81.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.03 ₱129

31.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.25 ₱15.71

120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$12.98 ₱830

105.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.75 ₱47.74

562.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.24 ₱15.38

1287.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$1.85 ₱118

189.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.07 ₱68.6

34.58%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$20.6K ₱1.3M

0.13%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

24.55%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$124 ₱7,946

-31.82%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$17.26 ₱1,103

35.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$23.34 ₱1,491

22.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$31.45 ₱2,009

81.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$5.91 ₱378

389.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$4.33 ₱276

18.71%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$76.8 ₱4,907

168.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$10.6K ₱678.8K

-63.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$28.90 ₱1,847

50.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$18.85 ₱1,204

119.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$71.0 ₱4,536

4.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$54.1 ₱3,456

65.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$251 ₱16.1K

289.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$167 ₱10.6K

128.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$259 ₱16.5K

559.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$352 ₱22.5K

205.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,416 ₱154.4K

63.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,119 ₱71.5K

450.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$134 ₱8,587

446.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.75

69.63%

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 Olongapo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Olongapo

$167 24% 56.3% $214

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Olongapo

$155 22.3% 39.2% $100

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Olongapo

$74 10.6% 63.6% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Olongapo

$165 23.8% 20.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Olongapo

$78 11.2% 30.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Olongapo

$40 5.8% 40.4% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Olongapo

$16 2.3% 68.4% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $251 in Olongapo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $16 in Olongapo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $155 per month, with Olongapo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Olongapo

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

04:48 4:48 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

233,040

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Olongapo 15,070 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Olongapo

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 Olongapo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Olongapo wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Olongapo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 5.5 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 $251 in Olongapo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $77 in Olongapo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $694 in Olongapo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Olongapo but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Olongapo 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 Olongapo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.