Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ormoc

For one person, living is cheaper in Ormoc: $801 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Ormoc, Philippines
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Ormoc
🇵🇭 Philippines
$801
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $801 in Ormoc, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Ormoc $801

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,192 in Ormoc, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Ormoc $1,192

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,582 in Ormoc, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Ormoc $1,582

Playa del Carmen costs about 50% more than Ormoc, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ormoc are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Ormoc 41% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Ormoc
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$3.58 ₱227
198.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$16.26 ₱1,032
169.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$4.80 ₱305
145.62%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$2.15 ₱136
76.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$0.69 ₱43.74
88.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$0.39 ₱24.49
112.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$1.26 ₱79.7
150.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$2.19 ₱139
125.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Ormoc
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.54 ₱97.5
-8.44%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$1.18 ₱74.6
86.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$0.92 ₱58.4
59.78%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.46
$1.93 ₱122
29.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$4.16 ₱264
75.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$4.20 ₱267
89.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$6.12 ₱388
110.13%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$2.37 ₱150
22.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$2.09 ₱132
-33.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.35
$2.14 ₱136
16.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.77
$0.93 ₱59.1
118.28%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.68
$1.54 ₱97.6
31.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$1.50 ₱94.9
26.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$0.80 ₱50.6
42.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.05
$0.55 ₱34.79
125.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$2.98 ₱189
43.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$6.85 ₱434
43.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$1.27 ₱80.7
25.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$1.75 ₱111
57.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Ormoc
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$0.21 ₱13.61
142.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
$11.35 ₱720
141.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$0.87 ₱55.0
447.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$0.20 ₱12.73
1525.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$2.13 ₱135
153.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.11 ₱70.7
37.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$18.4K ₱1.2M
15.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$17.6K ₱1.1M
32.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Ormoc
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$113 ₱7,173
-26.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$15.74 ₱999
47.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$26.03 ₱1,651
6.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Ormoc
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$30.33 ₱1,925
86.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$5.01 ₱318
-0.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Ormoc
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$308 ₱19.5K
-32.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.3K
$7,941 ₱503.8K
-34.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Ormoc
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$43.00 ₱2,728
1.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$28.33 ₱1,797
50.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$74.4 ₱4,723
-2.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$59.7 ₱3,789
47.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Ormoc
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$364 ₱23.1K
173.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$247 ₱15.7K
54.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$824 ₱52.3K
103.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$457 ₱29.0K
136.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$3,654 ₱231.8K
6.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$2,438 ₱154.7K
151.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Ormoc
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
7
63.57%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ormoc: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Ormoc
$247 35.4% $136
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Ormoc
$169 34.4% $89
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Ormoc
$84 58.2% $117
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Ormoc
$155 15.3% $21
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Ormoc
$92 16.9% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Ormoc
$40 39.3% $26
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Ormoc
$14 72.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $364 in Ormoc. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $16 in Ormoc. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $169 – making Ormoc the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇵🇭 Ormoc
🕒 Local time
13:02 1:02 PM
02:02 2:02 AM
13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
230,998
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.44 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.03 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Ormoc 15,080 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Ormoc

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 Ormoc: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ormoc cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,202 in Ormoc. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ormoc, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $364 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $308 in Ormoc. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Ormoc?
Groceries cost about 52% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Ormoc?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ormoc, where all-in costs run around $801, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Ormoc it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Ormoc?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $801 in Ormoc to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Ormoc is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 33% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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