Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Philipsburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,094 in Philipsburg, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Philipsburg

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,094 in Philipsburg.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Philipsburg $3,094

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $6,080 in Philipsburg.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Philipsburg $6,080

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $9,066 in Philipsburg.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Philipsburg $9,066

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 61% less than in Philipsburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Philipsburg is 127% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$15.29 ANG 27.37

-28.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$68.7 ANG 123

-36.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.01 ANG 14.34

47.07%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$4.43 ANG 7.93

-14.00%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$2.86 ANG 5.13

-55.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$4.07 ANG 7.29

-80.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$2.94 ANG 5.26

7.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$6.65 ANG 11.90

-25.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$3.02 ANG 5.41

-53.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$2.73 ANG 4.89

-18.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$2.46 ANG 4.40

-42.28%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$6.46 ANG 11.56

-60.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$18.14 ANG 32.47

-59.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$13.75 ANG 24.61

-44.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$15.14 ANG 27.10

-16.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$5.09 ANG 9.11

-45.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$5.07 ANG 9.07

-72.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$8.79 ANG 15.73

-70.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$7.70 ANG 13.78

-72.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$3.94 ANG 7.04

-50.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$4.06 ANG 7.27

-53.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$4.95 ANG 8.86

-76.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$1.36 ANG 2.44

-13.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$7.88 ANG 14.11

-45.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$10.95 ANG 19.61

-9.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$4.98 ANG 8.91

-68.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$2.32 ANG 4.15

-76.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$1.53 ANG 2.74

1639.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$14.87 ANG 26.61

-66.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$153 ANG 273

-44.43%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$32.43 ANG 58.1

-27.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$65.0 ANG 116

-55.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$63.6 ANG 114

-10.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$11.02 ANG 19.72

-53.36%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$253 ANG 452

-18.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$12.2K ANG 21.9K

-67.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$2,126 ANG 3,805

-53.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$1,983 ANG 3,550

-80.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$6,627 ANG 11.9K

-74.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$6,545 ANG 11.7K

-83.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,111 ANG 1,988

-33.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

129.00%

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 Philipsburg: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Philipsburg

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Philipsburg

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Philipsburg

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Philipsburg

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Philipsburg

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Philipsburg

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Philipsburg

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $2,126 in Philipsburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Philipsburg pays 51% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $69 in Philipsburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $494 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇽 Philipsburg

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

10:33 10:33 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.501 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 ANG (1 ANG = 0.501 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Philipsburg 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Philipsburg

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 Philipsburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Philipsburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Playa del Carmen. 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,126 in Philipsburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 94% higher in Philipsburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $69 in Philipsburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,094 in Philipsburg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Philipsburg. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Philipsburg on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.