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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,271 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,116 in Pascani.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,709 in Pascani.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,301 in Pascani.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 14% more expensive than Pascani, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Pascani 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.87 MX$204

$12.33 RON 55.8

-3.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.90 MX$736

$49.71 RON 225

-13.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$183

$7.92 RON 35.82

34.47%

Cappuccino

$3.45 MX$59.2

$3.45 RON 15.62

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

$1.50 MX$25.81

$2.01 RON 9.10

-25.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 MX$16.28

$2.02 RON 9.13

-52.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$51.9

$3.27 RON 14.80

-7.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MX$79.1

$3.39 RON 15.31

35.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$23.61

$1.54 RON 6.96

-10.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 MX$31.70

$1.33 RON 6.02

39.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.65

$1.83 RON 8.28

-12.02%

Eggs

$2.59 MX$44.51

$3.36 RON 15.20

-22.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 MX$142

$8.65 RON 39.12

-4.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 MX$144

$6.96 RON 31.50

20.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 MX$183

$12.19 RON 55.1

-12.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 MX$45.12

$1.13 RON 5.10

132.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.53

$1.70 RON 7.70

-12.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 MX$32.94

$1.56 RON 7.07

23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$35.81

$2.52 RON 11.38

-17.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$31.88

$0.94 RON 4.23

97.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 MX$38.81

$1.06 RON 4.82

113.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MX$18.23

$0.88 RON 3.99

20.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.67

$0.84 RON 3.79

29.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$71.2

$5.75 RON 25.99

-27.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 MX$178

$8.63 RON 39.06

20.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 MX$29.59

$1.13 RON 5.11

52.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$44.85

$1.73 RON 7.84

50.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.30

$0.66 RON 2.97

-18.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 MX$462

$19.78 RON 89.5

36.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$53.7

$0.71 RON 3.20

340.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 MX$43.09

$0.89 RON 4.02

182.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$54.1

$7.10 RON 32.11

-55.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$21.88

$1.60 RON 7.24

-20.63%

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

$30.4K MX$521.3K

$28.2K RON 127.6K

7.68%

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

$23.6K MX$404.5K

$28.2K RON 127.6K

-16.45%

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

$83.0 MX$1,425

$162 RON 732

-48.69%

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

$22.71 MX$390

$7.97 RON 36.06

184.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.46 MX$506

$9.26 RON 41.87

218.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 MX$875

$41.58 RON 188

22.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 MX$315

$19.02 RON 86.1

-3.63%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MX$84.5

$10.84 RON 49.02

-54.52%

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

$197 MX$3,386

$453 RON 2,047

-56.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,280 MX$90.6K

$6,516 RON 29.5K

-18.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.90 MX$633

$68.2 RON 309

-45.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 MX$685

$42.58 RON 193

-6.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 MX$1,373

$98.4 RON 445

-18.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 MX$1,536

$97.9 RON 443

-8.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$16.4K

$394 RON 1,782

142.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,189

$292 RON 1,319

63.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 MX$28.3K

$588 RON 2,660

179.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 MX$21.0K

$442 RON 1,997

177.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,918 MX$67.2K

$1,907 RON 8,628

105.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,459 MX$110.9K

$1,528 RON 6,912

322.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 MX$11.4K

$773 RON 3,496

-13.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

7.7

48.31%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 7, 2026

Last update for Pascani: June 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Playa del Carmen and $394 in Pascani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pascani pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $50.0 in Pascani. Groceries flip the comparison at $250 vs $226, with Pascani cheaper for home cooking.

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 Pascani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pascani wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pascani the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Pascani earns 16% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $956 in Playa del Carmen versus $394 in Pascani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $197 in Playa del Carmen versus $453 in Pascani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,116 in Pascani versus $1,271 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pascani but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Pascani the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Pascani delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,116 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Pascani hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Pascani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.