Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Oudtshoorn Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Oudtshoorn

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,271 in Playa del Carmen versus $996 in Oudtshoorn.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,582 in Oudtshoorn.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,168 in Oudtshoorn.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 28% more expensive than Oudtshoorn, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Oudtshoorn 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.87 MX$204

$8.42 R 136

40.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.90 MX$736

$33.75 R 546

27.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$183

$4.78 R 77.3

122.80%

Cappuccino

$3.45 MX$59.2

$2.01 R 32.57

71.64%

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

$1.50 MX$25.81

$1.04 R 16.79

44.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 MX$16.28

$0.76 R 12.35

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$51.9

$2.28 R 36.86

32.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MX$79.1

$2.48 R 40.02

85.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$23.61

$1.11 R 17.93

24.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 MX$31.70

$1.01 R 16.33

83.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.65

$1.58 R 25.60

1.90%

Eggs

$2.59 MX$44.51

$2.38 R 38.51

8.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 MX$142

$7.47 R 121

10.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 MX$144

$4.63 R 74.9

80.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 MX$183

$6.76 R 109

57.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 MX$45.12

$1.62 R 26.16

62.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.53

$1.48 R 23.92

0.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 MX$32.94

$1.52 R 24.58

26.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$35.81

$1.60 R 25.84

30.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$31.88

$1.35 R 21.88

37.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 MX$38.81

$1.20 R 19.34

88.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MX$18.23

$1.05 R 17.01

0.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.67

$0.96 R 15.47

13.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$71.2

$2.82 R 45.65

47.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 MX$178

$5.71 R 92.3

81.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 MX$29.59

$1.40 R 22.63

22.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$44.85

$1.70 R 27.43

53.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.30

$1.61 R 26.08

-66.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 MX$462

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$53.7

$1.14 R 18.47

174.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 MX$43.09

$0.90 R 14.58

178.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$54.1

$3.96 R 64.0

-20.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$21.88

$1.28 R 20.64

-0.78%

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

$30.4K MX$521.3K

$21.6K R 349.3K

40.58%

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

$23.6K MX$404.5K

$24.2K R 390.8K

-2.52%

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

$83.0 MX$1,425

$116 R 1,876

-28.49%

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

$22.71 MX$390

$34.80 R 563

-34.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.46 MX$506

$42.12 R 681

-30.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 MX$875

$31.36 R 507

62.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 MX$315

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MX$84.5

$6.74 R 109

-26.85%

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

$197 MX$3,386

$199 R 3,210

-0.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,280 MX$90.6K

$4,287 R 69.3K

23.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.90 MX$633

$50.2 R 812

-26.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 MX$685

$32.02 R 518

24.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 MX$1,373

$88.1 R 1,423

-9.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 MX$1,536

$79.1 R 1,279

13.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$16.4K

$371 R 6,002

157.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,189

$328 R 5,310

45.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 MX$28.3K

$677 R 11.0K

143.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 MX$21.0K

$691 R 11.2K

77.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,918 MX$67.2K

$803 R 13.0K

388.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,459 MX$110.9K

$756 R 12.2K

754.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 MX$11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

11.51

-0.78%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 7, 2026

Last update for Oudtshoorn: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Playa del Carmen and $371 in Oudtshoorn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $34.00 in Oudtshoorn for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $178 per month, with Oudtshoorn cheaper across the board.

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 Oudtshoorn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oudtshoorn wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Oudtshoorn the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,906 in Playa del Carmen and $1,494 in Oudtshoorn to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $956 in Playa del Carmen versus $371 in Oudtshoorn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $197 in Playa del Carmen versus $199 in Oudtshoorn. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Oudtshoorn – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $996 in Oudtshoorn versus $1,271 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Oudtshoorn but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Oudtshoorn the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Oudtshoorn delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $996 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Oudtshoorn hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Oudtshoorn gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.