Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Pago Pago

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,456 in Pago Pago, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Pago Pago
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Pago Pago Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Pago Pago

🇦🇸 American Samoa

$1,456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,456 in Pago Pago.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Pago Pago $1,456

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,262 in Pago Pago.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Pago Pago $2,262

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,068 in Pago Pago.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Pago Pago $3,068

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 17% less than in Pago Pago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 9% below, Pago Pago is 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$36.18 $36.18

23.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$10.07 $10.07

18.37%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$1.01 $1.01

-14.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$3.89 $3.89

28.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$2.59 $2.59

-43.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$2.82 $2.82

-17.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$4.20 $4.20

-65.71%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$4.63 $4.63

-46.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$10.03 $10.03

-23.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$9.83 $9.83

-19.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$11.47 $11.47

11.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$6.15 $6.15

-52.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.02 $1.02

39.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$2.93 $2.93

-12.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$4.02 $4.02

-46.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$3.92 $3.92

-50.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$4.06 $4.06

-52.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.98 $1.98

-41.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$2.02 $2.02

-39.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$11.49 $11.49

-61.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$14.79 $14.79

-33.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$0.99 $0.99

55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$2.88 $2.88

-5.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$2.03 $2.03

-74.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$124 $124

-77.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$5.07 $5.07

-3.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$2.05 $2.05

71.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$29.49 $29.49

-80.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.36 $1.36

13.24%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$29.7K $29.7K

-28.49%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$20.2K $20.2K

21.30%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$404 $404

-79.28%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$30.11 $30.11

-20.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$76.3 $76.3

-61.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$49.35 $49.35

31.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$10.06 $10.06

192.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$9.22 $9.22

-44.79%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$989 $989

-79.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$9,838 $9,838

-58.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$69.4 $69.4

-35.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$50.3 $50.3

-16.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$81.3 $81.3

-7.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$102 $102

-10.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$327 $327

202.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$201 $201

91.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$884 $884

93.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$707 $707

56.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$18.1K $18.1K

-77.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$10.7K $10.7K

-41.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$1,217 $1,217

-37.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

281.67%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Pago Pago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Pago Pago

$201 13.7% 47.8% $184

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Pago Pago

$364 24.8% 39.9% $104

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Pago Pago

$42 * 2.9% 79.4% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Pago Pago

$510 34.7% 272% $373

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Pago Pago

$136 9.3% 19.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Pago Pago

$68 4.6% 9.7% $7.3

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Pago Pago

$147 10% 183% $95

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 $986 in Playa del Carmen and $327 in Pago Pago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pago Pago pays 61% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $36.00 in Pago Pago. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $364, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇸 Pago Pago

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

03:22 3:22 AM

6 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

11,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Pago Pago 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Pago Pago

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 Pago Pago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Pago Pago. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Pago Pago. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $327 in Pago Pago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 352% less than in Pago Pago. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $208 in Playa del Carmen versus $989 in Pago Pago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,456 in Pago Pago, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Pago Pago. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,215 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Pago Pago are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Pago Pago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.