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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 50.4% more expensive than Palawan without rent, and 61.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 60.1% more expensive than Palawan without rent, and 86.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Palawan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$3.58 ₱212
231.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$19.88 ₱1,176
112.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$3.28 ₱194
227.74%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$2.63 ₱155
31.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$0.79 ₱46.50
83.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.39 ₱23.08
130.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$1.24 ₱73.3
145.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$2.11 ₱125
109.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Palawan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$1.92 ₱114
-28.65%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$1.20 ₱71.3
55.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$0.97 ₱57.2
58.76%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$2.01 ₱119
24.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$7.96 ₱471
8.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$4.33 ₱256
99.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$7.91 ₱468
39.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$2.90 ₱171
-5.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$1.55 ₱91.9
-7.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$2.71 ₱160
-31.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.60 ₱94.8
35.62%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$2.24 ₱132
-16.07%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$2.50 ₱148
-10.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$1.12 ₱66.4
-4.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$0.73 ₱42.95
46.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$2.90 ₱172
43.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$6.67 ₱394
55.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$1.20 ₱71.0
40.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$1.97 ₱116
25.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Palawan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$0.26 ₱15.25
111.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$0.82 ₱48.39
292.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$0.24 ₱14.28
933.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$2.07 ₱122
50.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.11 ₱65.6
13.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$26.2K ₱1.5M
17.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$20.6K ₱1.2M
16.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Palawan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$113 ₱6,692
-27.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$32.53 ₱1,925
-31.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$27.59 ₱1,632
8.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Palawan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$34.54 ₱2,044
48.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
$4.37 ₱258
318.54%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$6.09 ₱361
-18.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Palawan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$150 ₱8,880
33.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$4,351 ₱257.5K
21.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Palawan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$45.20 ₱2,675
-21.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$26.39 ₱1,561
49.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$76.2 ₱4,507
5.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$54.1 ₱3,203
63.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Palawan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$258 ₱15.2K
276.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$175 ₱10.4K
175.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$588 ₱34.8K
171.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$391 ₱23.2K
202.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
$2,349 ₱139.0K
72.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
$857 ₱50.7K
660.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Palawan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.67
71.21%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Palawan: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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