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 46.7% more expensive than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 20.2% more expensive with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 1.6% cheaper than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 43.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$8 RΒ 142
49.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$43.14 RΒ 767
-1.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$5.62 RΒ 100
86.30%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.2 RΒ 39.19
63.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.87 RΒ 15.49
65.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.69 RΒ 12.33
28.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$1.69 RΒ 30.08
82.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$2.36 RΒ 42.04
94.07%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.03 RΒ 18.4
33.98%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$0.86 RΒ 15.24
115.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.52 RΒ 27.01
3.29%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.25 RΒ 39.95
13.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$7.19 RΒ 128
19.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$4.83 RΒ 85.9
76.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$7.1 RΒ 126
54.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$1.58 RΒ 28.16
72.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.77 RΒ 31.5
-14.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$2.01 RΒ 35.73
-6.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.74 RΒ 30.87
25.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.53 RΒ 27.17
22.22%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.84 RΒ 32.79
19.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.24 RΒ 22.07
-13.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.98 RΒ 17.37
11.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$2.85 RΒ 50.6
38.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$3.31 RΒ 58.9
167.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.45 RΒ 25.76
18.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$1.7 RΒ 30.2
53.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$2.67 RΒ 47.54
-80.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$18.3 RΒ 326
45.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$1.63 RΒ 29.01
98.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.52 RΒ 9.27
357.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$3.91 RΒ 69.6
-20.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.24 RΒ 22.13
5.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$23.4K RΒ 416.2K
29.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$22.9K RΒ 407.7K
4.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$230 RΒ 4,094
-63.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$30.34 RΒ 540
-27.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$56.9 RΒ 1,012
-47.01%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$37.89 RΒ 674
37.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$5.12 RΒ 91
-0.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$150 RΒ 2,666
33.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$4,782 RΒ 85K
11.52%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$61.7 RΒ 1,097
-42.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$38.2 RΒ 679
4.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$181 RΒ 3,222
-56.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$76.1 RΒ 1,354
16.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$209 RΒ 3,716
362.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$190 RΒ 3,376
149.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$513 RΒ 9,129
221.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$386 RΒ 6,863
211.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$719 RΒ 12.8K
328.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$416 RΒ 7,405
1708.30%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$862 RΒ 15.3K
-8.16%
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 29, 2025

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