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: $1,260 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,114 in Pascani.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,125 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,735 in Pascani.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,990 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,356 in Pascani.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 13% more expensive than in Pascani, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Pascani 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.72 MX$203

$12.40 RON 56.4

-5.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.89 MX$725

$49.86 RON 227

-15.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 MX$182

$7.98 RON 36.27

31.70%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$62.0

$3.53 RON 16.06

1.70%

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

$1.51 MX$26.10

$1.93 RON 8.79

-21.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 MX$15.83

$2.03 RON 9.24

-54.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 MX$51.2

$3.12 RON 14.20

-5.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$76.3

$3.52 RON 16.01

25.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$24.16

$1.55 RON 7.04

-9.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 MX$32.60

$1.29 RON 5.85

45.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 MX$26.97

$1.82 RON 8.28

-14.29%

Eggs

$2.61 MX$45.14

$3.29 RON 14.96

-20.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 MX$144

$8.74 RON 39.73

-4.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 MX$145

$7.04 RON 31.99

18.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 MX$188

$12.13 RON 55.1

-10.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 MX$46.93

$1.13 RON 5.16

139.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MX$26.04

$1.71 RON 7.79

-11.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$32.41

$1.59 RON 7.24

17.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$37.89

$2.49 RON 11.33

-12.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$32.14

$0.97 RON 4.40

91.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 MX$38.59

$1.07 RON 4.88

108.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.48

$0.94 RON 4.29

13.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.79

$0.78 RON 3.53

39.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MX$72.4

$5.87 RON 26.67

-28.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 MX$180

$7.82 RON 35.54

33.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 MX$28.68

$1.11 RON 5.03

49.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$45.19

$1.72 RON 7.81

51.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.37

$0.71 RON 3.21

-23.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.16 MX$453

$19.93 RON 90.6

31.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 MX$53.3

$0.77 RON 3.51

300.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$41.61

$0.89 RON 4.05

169.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$54.1

$6.88 RON 31.27

-54.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.69

$1.61 RON 7.34

-18.63%

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

$29.8K MX$515.7K

$28.0K RON 127.3K

6.47%

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

$23.3K MX$403.5K

$28.3K RON 128.5K

-17.50%

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

$81.3 MX$1,406

$162 RON 737

-49.84%

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

$22.56 MX$390

$8.14 RON 37.03

177.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.05 MX$520

$8.80 RON 40.02

241.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 MX$915

$40.83 RON 186

29.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.39 MX$318

$18.93 RON 86.1

-2.85%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 MX$85.1

$10.90 RON 49.53

-54.86%

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

$201 MX$3,474

$451 RON 2,050

-55.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,175 MX$89.5K

$6,633 RON 30.2K

-21.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.92 MX$622

$66.2 RON 301

-45.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.13 MX$694

$43.40 RON 197

-7.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 MX$1,379

$95.4 RON 434

-16.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 MX$1,496

$99.3 RON 451

-12.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$978 MX$16.9K

$383 RON 1,740

155.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 MX$8,140

$290 RON 1,318

62.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,651 MX$28.6K

$589 RON 2,676

180.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 MX$20.8K

$438 RON 1,993

174.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,953 MX$68.4K

$2,133 RON 9,699

85.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,607 MX$114.3K

$1,385 RON 6,295

377.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$677 MX$11.7K

$761 RON 3,458

-11.05%

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: July 27, 2026

Last update for Pascani: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $978 in Playa del Carmen and $383 in Pascani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pascani pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $50.0 in Pascani. Groceries flip the comparison at $252 vs $224, 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 13% 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, salaries run 12% lower in Pascani. 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: $978 in Playa del Carmen versus $383 in Pascani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $451 in Pascani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,114 in Pascani versus $1,260 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 $1,114 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 13% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.