Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Pétion-Ville

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,190 in Pétion-Ville, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Pétion-Ville
Learn more

Pétion-Ville Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Pétion-Ville

🇭🇹 Haiti

$2,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Pétion-Ville

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 Pétion-Ville actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,190 in Pétion-Ville, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Pétion-Ville $2,190

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,603 in Pétion-Ville, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Pétion-Ville $3,603

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,016 in Pétion-Ville, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Pétion-Ville $5,016

Playa del Carmen is about 45% cheaper than Pétion-Ville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Pétion-Ville is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$14.61 HTG 1,903

-25.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$90.9 HTG 11.8K

-51.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$11.42 HTG 1,487

2.98%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.78 HTG 493

-2.65%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$3.04 HTG 396

-55.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.54 HTG 201

-46.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$7.67 HTG 999

-60.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$9.21 HTG 1,200

-46.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.09 HTG 273

-29.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.65 HTG 345

-16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$3.12 HTG 407

-52.56%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$3.64 HTG 474

-31.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$7.04 HTG 916

6.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$6.00 HTG 782

32.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$9.12 HTG 1,187

37.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.80 HTG 495

-26.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$0.95 HTG 123

50.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.72 HTG 94.4

263.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.24 HTG 292

-4.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$7.32 HTG 953

-72.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.23 HTG 290

-10.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.15 HTG 150

-0.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.94 HTG 122

27.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.55 HTG 592

-6.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$11.36 HTG 1,480

-11.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.54 HTG 201

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.24 HTG 292

18.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.40 HTG 51.6

32.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$37.93 HTG 4,940

-27.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.40 HTG 51.6

1125.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.39 HTG 51.1

779.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$13.64 HTG 1,776

-60.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.38 HTG 180

5.07%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$35.0K HTG 4.6M

-39.54%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$24.5K HTG 3.2M

-5.95%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$171 HTG 22.3K

-50.08%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$46.08 HTG 6,001

-49.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$232 HTG 30.2K

-87.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$15.38 HTG 2,003

86.48%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

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

$201 MX$3,715

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$92.7 HTG 12.1K

-52.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$77.0 HTG 10.0K

-46.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$154 HTG 20.1K

-52.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$192 HTG 25.1K

-53.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,122 HTG 146.2K

-12.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$926 HTG 120.6K

-59.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$3,264 HTG 425.1K

-48.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$2,297 HTG 299.1K

-52.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$2,478 HTG 322.7K

59.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,900 HTG 247.4K

223.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$765 HTG 99.6K

-3.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-36.39%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Pétion-Ville: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Pétion-Ville

$926 42.3% 149% $554

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Pétion-Ville

$269 12.3% 4.1% $11

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Pétion-Ville

$272 12.4% 35.7% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Pétion-Ville

$449 20.5% 227% $312

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Pétion-Ville

$232 10.6% 108% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Pétion-Ville

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Pétion-Ville

$42 1.9% 19% $9.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,122 in Pétion-Ville. 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 4% higher in Pétion-Ville, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $91.0 in Pétion-Ville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $269 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇭🇹 Pétion-Ville

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

07:42 7:42 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

342,400

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Haitian Gourde HTG G

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 HTG = 7.68 USD

1,000 HTG = 6.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HTG, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Haitian Gourde exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 130 HTG (1,000 HTG = 7.68 USD). 1 EUR = 146 HTG (1,000 HTG = 6.83 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Pétion-Ville 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Pétion-Ville

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 Pétion-Ville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $2,190 in Pétion-Ville – roughly 82% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,285 in Pétion-Ville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Pétion-Ville, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Pétion-Ville at $2,190. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pétion-Ville it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,190 in Pétion-Ville. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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