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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 29.8% more expensive than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 18.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 21.5% more expensive than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 40.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$8.26 R 136
43.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$42.79 R 705
-1.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$5.70 R 94.0
88.60%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$2.13 R 35.08
62.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$0.92 R 15.23
57.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.74 R 12.14
21.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$1.71 R 28.21
78.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$2.40 R 39.55
84.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$1.04 R 17.09
31.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$0.83 R 13.62
125.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$1.51 R 24.92
1.99%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$2.28 R 37.53
9.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$7.15 R 118
20.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$4.68 R 77.1
84.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$6.87 R 113
60.41%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$1.59 R 26.16
72.96%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$1.69 R 27.86
-15.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.96 R 32.27
-4.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$1.68 R 27.68
29.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$1.47 R 24.27
27.89%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$1.84 R 30.30
22.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$1.28 R 21.15
-16.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$0.94 R 15.48
13.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$2.84 R 46.80
46.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$3.57 R 58.9
189.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.40 R 23.02
20.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$1.78 R 29.30
39.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$2.77 R 45.59
-80.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
$17.97 R 296
47.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$1.70 R 28.06
89.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$0.56 R 9.22
342.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$4.08 R 67.2
-23.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$1.21 R 19.98
4.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$24.1K R 397.4K
27.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$22.6K R 373.0K
6.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$236 R 3,897
-65.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$30.29 R 499
-26.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$58.3 R 960
-48.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$38.72 R 638
32.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$4.92 R 81.1
1.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$152 R 2,505
31.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$4,899 R 80.7K
8.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$61.1 R 1,007
-41.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$38.83 R 640
1.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$177 R 2,923
-54.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$75.0 R 1,237
17.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$209 R 3,448
363.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$187 R 3,078
158.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$508 R 8,370
214.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$378 R 6,238
212.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$785 R 12.9K
415.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$454 R 7,488
1335.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$923 R 15.2K
-18.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
11.5
-0.70%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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