Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Palawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $784 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $784 in Palawan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Palawan $784

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,223 in Palawan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Palawan $1,223

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,661 in Palawan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Palawan $1,661

Playa del Carmen costs about 54% more than Palawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Palawan are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Palawan 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$3.48 ₱220

213.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$19.38 ₱1,228

123.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$3.31 ₱210

255.89%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$2.52 ₱160

51.19%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$0.78 ₱49.38

64.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$0.39 ₱25.01

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$1.31 ₱82.9

141.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$2.15 ₱136

129.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$1.90 ₱120

-25.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$1.22 ₱77.1

81.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$1.00 ₱63.3

42.00%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$2.00 ₱127

26.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$7.91 ₱501

-8.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.35 ₱276

77.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$7.62 ₱483

66.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$2.87 ₱182

-3.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.58 ₱100

-13.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$2.62 ₱166

-2.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$1.55 ₱98.4

36.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$2.24 ₱142

-13.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$2.54 ₱161

-25.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$1.11 ₱70.1

3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$0.75 ₱47.76

57.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$2.89 ₱183

48.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$6.95 ₱441

43.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$1.17 ₱73.9

35.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$1.98 ₱126

34.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$0.26 ₱16.34

111.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

$11.46 ₱727

132.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$0.81 ₱51.6

513.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$0.22 ₱13.93

1413.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$2.08 ₱132

157.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$1.13 ₱71.9

27.43%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$26.1K ₱1.7M

-20.89%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

13.15%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$112 ₱7,078

-24.07%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$33.36 ₱2,115

-29.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$27.52 ₱1,744

4.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$34.20 ₱2,168

66.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

$4.55 ₱289

535.38%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$5.96 ₱378

-13.76%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$153 ₱9,715

34.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$4,354 ₱276.0K

-9.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$46.66 ₱2,957

-7.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$26.57 ₱1,684

55.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$74.4 ₱4,717

-0.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$54.1 ₱3,430

64.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$263 ₱16.7K

272.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$174 ₱11.0K

118.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$576 ₱36.5K

196.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$390 ₱24.7K

175.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

$2,321 ₱147.1K

69.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$1,122 ₱71.1K

448.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.67

71.66%

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 Palawan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Palawan

$174 22.2% 54.2% $207

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Palawan

$202 25.8% 20.5% $52

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Palawan

$84 10.7% 58.7% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Palawan

$173 22% 26.1% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Palawan

$91 11.6% 18.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Palawan

$46 5.9% 31.5% $21

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Palawan

$14 1.8% 71.4% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $263 in Palawan. 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $19 in Palawan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $202 – making Palawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Palawan

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

17:04 5:04 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

939,594

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Palawan 15,610 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Palawan

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 Palawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,176 in Palawan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palawan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $263 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $153 in Palawan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Palawan, where all-in costs run around $784, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Palawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palawan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Palawan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 35% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.