Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Pampanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Pampanga: $848 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Pampanga
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Pampanga Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Pampanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$848

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $848 in Pampanga.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Pampanga $848

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,275 in Pampanga.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Pampanga $1,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,703 in Pampanga.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Pampanga $1,703

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 42% more expensive than in Pampanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Pampanga 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$4.05 ₱258

163.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$19.99 ₱1,271

119.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$2.84 ₱181

315.14%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.38 ₱151

59.24%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.68 ₱43.01

91.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.42 ₱27.01

97.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.10 ₱70.2

186.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.20 ₱140

124.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.71 ₱109

-17.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.10 ₱70.2

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.93 ₱59.2

58.06%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$1.94 ₱123

28.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$4.23 ₱269

72.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.02 ₱256

97.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.38 ₱469

74.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.15 ₱136

34.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.72 ₱109

-19.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$2.12 ₱135

17.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$0.98 ₱62.1

107.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$1.52 ₱96.6

32.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.57 ₱99.6

21.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.79 ₱50.0

44.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.51 ₱32.12

143.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$3.14 ₱200

35.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$6.75 ₱429

45.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.07 ₱68.0

48.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.99 ₱126

38.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.25 ₱15.64

104.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$13.35 ₱849

105.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.79 ₱50.1

502.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.20 ₱12.40

1525.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$1.75 ₱111

208.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.26 ₱80.2

21.43%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$21.5K ₱1.4M

-1.29%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

23.40%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$111 ₱7,045

-24.65%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$15.45 ₱982

50.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$25.91 ₱1,647

6.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$33.85 ₱2,152

66.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$4.36 ₱277

14.68%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$255 ₱16.2K

-18.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$8,918 ₱567.0K

-41.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$50.3 ₱3,197

-13.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$28.26 ₱1,797

50.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$76.3 ₱4,850

-4.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$59.3 ₱3,769

49.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$424 ₱27.0K

134.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$289 ₱18.3K

32.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$740 ₱47.0K

126.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$540 ₱34.3K

100.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$3,976 ₱252.8K

-1.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$2,484 ₱157.9K

147.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

63.57%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Pampanga: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Pampanga

$289 34% 24.5% $94

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Pampanga

$169 19.9% 34.5% $89

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Pampanga

$84 9.9% 58.2% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Pampanga

$152 17.9% 13.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Pampanga

$96 11.4% 13.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Pampanga

$43 5% 35.9% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Pampanga

$16 1.9% 68.1% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $424 in Pampanga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $20 in Pampanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $169 per month, with Pampanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Pampanga

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

07:14 7:14 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

15,616

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Pampanga 15,290 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Pampanga

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 Pampanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pampanga wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Pampanga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,272 in Pampanga 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $424 in Pampanga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $255 in Pampanga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Pampanga is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Pampanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.