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 13.2% more expensive than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 22.2% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 11.4% cheaper than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 41.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$7.96 R 130
45.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$43.18 R 704
-1.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$5.51 R 89.8
92.38%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$2.12 R 34.57
69.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.87 R 14.16
66.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.69 R 11.29
30.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$1.63 R 26.61
85.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$2.42 R 39.49
88.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.07 R 17.46
35.51%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$0.80 R 13.07
128.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$1.50 R 24.48
7.33%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$2.25 R 36.69
12.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$7.04 R 115
21.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$4.69 R 76.4
80.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$7.02 R 114
54.70%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$1.66 R 27.14
64.46%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.76 R 28.75
-15.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$2.00 R 32.67
-3.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$1.67 R 27.16
29.34%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$1.48 R 24.06
25.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.78 R 28.98
23.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$1.28 R 20.92
-16.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.96 R 15.69
12.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$2.90 R 47.29
40.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$3.61 R 58.9
189.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$1.45 R 23.62
13.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$1.78 R 28.94
43.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$2.70 R 44.03
-79.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$18.09 R 295
44.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$1.64 R 26.71
91.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$0.53 R 8.59
347.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$3.97 R 64.7
-18.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.24 R 20.29
5.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$24.0K R 391.2K
27.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$22.6K R 368.0K
5.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$237 R 3,857
-64.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$30.12 R 491
-26.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$58.2 R 948
-49.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$38.31 R 624
33.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$5.08 R 82.8
-3.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$149 R 2,427
33.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$4,742 R 77.3K
9.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$61.1 R 996
-41.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$38.43 R 626
2.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$181 R 2,947
-55.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$73.5 R 1,197
19.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$208 R 3,398
362.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$185 R 3,018
160.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$518 R 8,449
217.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$381 R 6,212
212.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$756 R 12.3K
423.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$445 R 7,247
1365.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$884 R 14.4K
-17.84%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: April 12, 2026

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

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