Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Pasay

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasay: $898 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Pasay
Learn more

Pasay Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Pasay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$898

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $898 in Pasay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Pasay $898

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,224 in Pasay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Pasay $1,224

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,551 in Pasay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Pasay $1,551

Playa del Carmen costs about 34% more than Pasay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Pasay are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Pasay 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$4.39 ₱280

148.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$18.79 ₱1,197

130.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$2.79 ₱178

322.22%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.12 ₱135

79.72%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.59 ₱37.35

116.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.33 ₱21.23

136.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.15 ₱73.4

175.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.54 ₱98.0

220.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.63 ₱104

-13.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.16 ₱74.0

91.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.02 ₱65.1

39.22%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.83 ₱116

37.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$4.97 ₱316

46.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$4.23 ₱270

82.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$6.83 ₱435

85.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.19 ₱140

26.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.56 ₱99.5

-12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.34 ₱149

8.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.11 ₱70.5

90.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.33 ₱148

-16.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$3.27 ₱208

-42.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.23 ₱78.1

-6.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.85 ₱54.2

38.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$2.96 ₱188

45.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$7.56 ₱482

31.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$0.88 ₱56.1

79.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.73 ₱110

54.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.20 ₱12.46

175.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$0.80 ₱51.2

521.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.21 ₱13.36

1485.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$1.89 ₱120

183.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.23 ₱78.4

17.07%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$20.6K ₱1.3M

0.28%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

21.97%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$139 ₱8,862

-39.07%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$14.40 ₱917

62.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$24.03 ₱1,530

19.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$47.26 ₱3,010

20.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$4.99 ₱318

3.01%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$70.6 ₱4,497

192.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$2,430 ₱154.8K

61.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$34.90 ₱2,223

24.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$19.11 ₱1,217

116.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$70.2 ₱4,473

5.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$62.5 ₱3,983

42.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$427 ₱27.2K

129.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$312 ₱19.9K

21.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$828 ₱52.7K

106.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$366 ₱23.3K

193.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,864 ₱118.8K

111.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$567 ₱36.1K

986.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$512 ₱32.6K

43.44%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pasay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Pasay

$312 34.8% 18% $69

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Pasay

$183 20.4% 28.3% $72

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Pasay

$81 9.1% 59.8% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Pasay

$178 19.8% 29.8% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Pasay

$84 9.4% 24.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Pasay

$57 6.4% 15% $10

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Pasay

$2.6 * 0.3% 94.8% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $427 in Pasay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 43% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $19 in Pasay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $183 – making Pasay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Pasay

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

11:21 11:21 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

416,522

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Pasay 15,040 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Pasay

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 Pasay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $898 in Pasay – Pasay comes out roughly 25% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,347 in Pasay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pasay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $427 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $19 in Pasay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Pasay, where all-in costs run around $898, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Pasay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Pasay. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.