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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 42.2% more expensive than Pale without rent, and 28.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 1.3% more expensive than Pale without rent, and 60.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Pale
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$7.15 BAM 12.06
67.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$35.49 BAM 59.9
19.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$8.65 BAM 14.6
21.04%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$1.6 BAM 2.7
125.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$1.92 BAM 3.24
-25.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$1.16 BAM 1.95
-23.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$2.1 BAM 3.54
47.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$2.39 BAM 4.04
91.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Pale
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.4 BAM 2.36
-1.43%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.22 BAM 2.05
51.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.6 BAM 2.7
-1.88%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.95 BAM 4.98
-13.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$9.21 BAM 15.55
-6.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$8.51 BAM 14.36
0.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$12.57 BAM 21.21
-12.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$1.4 BAM 2.36
94.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.82 BAM 3.06
-17.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.98 BAM 3.35
-5.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$2.14 BAM 3.62
2.34%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.16 BAM 1.95
61.21%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.29 BAM 2.18
69.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.28 BAM 2.17
-16.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.74 BAM 1.26
47.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$3.75 BAM 6.32
5.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$7.05 BAM 11.9
25.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.05 BAM 1.77
63.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$1.31 BAM 2.21
99.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Pale
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$1.77 BAM 2.98
-70.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$35.64 BAM 60.2
-25.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$1.51 BAM 2.55
114.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.82 BAM 1.39
190.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$8.77 BAM 14.81
-64.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.48 BAM 2.5
-11.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$26.1K BAM 44K
16.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$27.3K BAM 46.1K
-12.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Pale
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$169 BAM 285
-50.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$18.83 BAM 31.78
17.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$23.37 BAM 39.44
28.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Pale
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$23.49 BAM 39.64
121.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$8.74 BAM 14.75
114.19%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$4.84 BAM 8.17
4.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Pale
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$242 BAM 408
-17.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$3,364 BAM 5,678
58.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Pale
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$73.9 BAM 125
-51.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$36.62 BAM 61.8
8.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$101 BAM 171
-22.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$126 BAM 212
-29.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Pale
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$187 BAM 316
415.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$154 BAM 260
208.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$288 BAM 486
473.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$222 BAM 376
440.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$1,403 BAM 2,369
119.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$1,203 BAM 2,030
526.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Pale
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$738 BAM 1,245
7.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
4.07
180.59%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Pale: October 28, 2025

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