Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Polomolok

For one person, living is cheaper in Polomolok: $610 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Polomolok
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Polomolok Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Polomolok

🇵🇭 Philippines

$610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $610 in Polomolok, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Polomolok $610

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $966 in Polomolok, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Polomolok $966

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,323 in Polomolok, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Polomolok $1,323

Playa del Carmen costs about 97% more than Polomolok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Polomolok are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Polomolok 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$1.59 ₱101

571.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$16.28 ₱1,035

169.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$1.99 ₱127

492.46%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.18 ₱138

73.85%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.38 ₱24.07

242.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.63 ₱40.30

31.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.20 ₱76.1

162.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.09 ₱133

135.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.65 ₱105

-14.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.90 ₱57.1

144.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.66 ₱41.96

122.73%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$1.89 ₱120

32.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$6.38 ₱406

14.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$2.73 ₱174

191.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$5.38 ₱342

139.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.53 ₱161

14.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$0.58 ₱36.56

137.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$2.40 ₱152

3.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$0.80 ₱50.7

153.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$1.15 ₱73.2

75.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.88 ₱183

-34.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.77 ₱48.90

48.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.66 ₱41.95

87.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.38 ₱151

79.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$6.88 ₱438

42.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$0.98 ₱62.0

62.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.47 ₱93.4

87.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.22 ₱13.90

131.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$12.38 ₱787

121.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.75 ₱47.89

534.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.22 ₱13.93

1377.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$1.89 ₱120

185.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.86 ₱54.6

77.91%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$15.9K ₱1.0M

33.22%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$17.3K ₱1.1M

34.23%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$50.5 ₱3,210

65.36%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$19.13 ₱1,216

21.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$25.41 ₱1,616

8.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$31.60 ₱2,009

78.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$5.16 ₱328

446.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$3.82 ₱243

30.89%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$104 ₱6,598

99.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$1,338 ₱85.1K

291.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$32.43 ₱2,062

33.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$19.23 ₱1,223

121.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$63.6 ₱4,043

14.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$60.6 ₱3,850

45.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$246 ₱15.6K

304.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$166 ₱10.6K

130.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$493 ₱31.3K

239.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$358 ₱22.7K

202.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,680 ₱170.4K

45.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,117 ₱71.0K

449.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$235 ₱14.9K

254.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

90.83%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Polomolok: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Polomolok

$166 27.2% 56.6% $216

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Polomolok

$156 25.6% 39.4% $101

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Polomolok

$59 9.7% 70.5% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Polomolok

$95 15.6% 29.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Polomolok

$79 13% 28.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Polomolok

$39 6.4% 40.9% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Polomolok

$15 2.5% 70.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $246 in Polomolok. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $16 in Polomolok. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $156 – making Polomolok the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Polomolok

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

07:42 7:42 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

172,605

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Polomolok 15,410 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Polomolok

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 Polomolok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $914 in Polomolok. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Polomolok, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $246 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $610 in Polomolok. That makes Polomolok about 49% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 55% less in Polomolok. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Polomolok, where all-in costs run around $610, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Polomolok it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Polomolok – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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