Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Panglao

For one person, living is cheaper in Panglao: $795 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Panglao
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Panglao Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Panglao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$795

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $795 in Panglao, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Panglao $795

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,113 in Panglao, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Panglao $1,113

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,431 in Panglao, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Panglao $1,431

Playa del Carmen costs about 51% more than Panglao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Panglao are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Panglao 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$3.89 ₱245

174.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$23.45 ₱1,476

86.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$3.93 ₱247

200.00%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$2.14 ₱135

77.10%

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

$1.30 MX$24.36

$0.69 ₱43.44

88.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$0.47 ₱29.59

76.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$1.54 ₱96.8

104.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.84 ₱116

167.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$1.58 ₱99.4

-10.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$1.09 ₱68.8

101.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$0.92 ₱58.0

59.78%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$1.69 ₱106

47.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$4.73 ₱298

54.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$4.52 ₱284

75.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$7.65 ₱482

68.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$1.90 ₱120

52.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$1.31 ₱82.7

5.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$1.94 ₱122

28.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$1.49 ₱94.0

36.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$2.30 ₱145

-12.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$1.89 ₱119

0.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$1.07 ₱67.3

6.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$0.46 ₱28.65

169.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$2.89 ₱182

47.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$5.73 ₱361

71.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

$0.80 ₱50.1

98.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$1.55 ₱97.4

77.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

$0.22 ₱13.79

131.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

$12.47 ₱785

119.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$0.74 ₱46.40

543.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$0.22 ₱13.88

1377.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$1.85 ₱117

191.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

$0.94 ₱59.2

62.77%

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

0.75%

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

21.58%

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

$83.5 MX$1,568

$58.2 ₱3,666

43.38%

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

$23.19 MX$435

$6.53 ₱411

255.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

$23.87 ₱1,503

15.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

$20.83 ₱1,312

170.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

$5.16 ₱325

446.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

$3.92 ₱247

27.55%

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

$207 MX$3,889

$132 ₱8,317

56.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

$7,973 ₱502.0K

-34.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$32.20 ₱2,027

34.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$19.54 ₱1,231

117.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$66.0 ₱4,155

10.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

$46.55 ₱2,931

89.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$279 ₱17.6K

256.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

$336 ₱21.2K

13.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

$541 ₱34.1K

209.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$396 ₱25.0K

172.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

$933 ₱58.7K

319.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

$1,091 ₱68.7K

462.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.2

59.03%

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 Panglao: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Panglao

$336 42.2% 12.1% $46

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Panglao

$168 21.2% 34.6% $89

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Panglao

$85 10.6% 57.7% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Panglao

$89 11.1% 34% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Panglao

$74 9.3% 33.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Panglao

$29 3.6% 56.8% $38

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Panglao

$15 1.9% 69.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $279 in Panglao. 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 $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $23 in Panglao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $168 – making Panglao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Panglao

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

16:45 4:45 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

39,839

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 62.97 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Panglao 15,260 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Panglao

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 Panglao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 51% more than Panglao, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,193 in Panglao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Panglao, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $279 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $23 in Panglao. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

For expats, Panglao is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 34% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.