Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Port Blair

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Blair: $370 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Port Blair, India
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Port Blair
🇮🇳 India
$370
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Port Blair

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $370 in Port Blair, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Port Blair $370

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $592 in Port Blair, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Port Blair $592

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $814 in Port Blair, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Port Blair $814

Playa del Carmen costs about 225% more than Port Blair, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Port Blair are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Port Blair 73% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Port Blair
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$2.06 ₹195
417.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$10.61 ₹1,004
312.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$3.76 ₹356
213.56%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$1.66 ₹157
128.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$0.38 ₹35.63
242.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$0.16 ₹14.91
418.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$1.78 ₹169
76.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$2.96 ₹280
66.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Port Blair
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$0.63 ₹59.2
123.81%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$0.47 ₹44.88
368.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$0.67 ₹63.7
119.40%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.47
$0.92 ₹87.4
171.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$4.44 ₹420
64.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$2.89 ₹273
175.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$1.93 ₹183
50.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$0.67 ₹63.5
105.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.36
$0.92 ₹86.7
170.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.78
$0.46 ₹43.25
341.30%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.69
$0.32 ₹30.62
531.25%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$0.38 ₹35.50
400.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$0.47 ₹44.57
142.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.06
$0.29 ₹27.04
327.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$5.18 ₹490
-17.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$7.20 ₹681
36.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$1.60 ₹151
-0.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$2.69 ₹255
2.23%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$4.96 ₹469
-
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Port Blair
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$0.23 ₹21.78
121.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
$6.92 ₹655
295.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$0.86 ₹81.1
453.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$0.27 ₹25.68
1103.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$1.56 ₹147
245.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.12 ₹106
36.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$11.2K ₹1.1M
88.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$19.6K ₹1.9M
18.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Port Blair
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$34.91 ₹3,304
139.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$3.39 ₹321
584.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$6.72 ₹636
310.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Port Blair
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$14.26 ₹1,350
295.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
$6.55 ₹620
330.38%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$4.03 ₹382
24.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Port Blair
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$46.80 ₹4,429
342.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.4K
$1,452 ₹137.4K
260.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Port Blair
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$21.58 ₹2,042
101.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$23.89 ₹2,261
78.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$38.38 ₹3,632
89.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$28.52 ₹2,700
209.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Port Blair
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$85.7 ₹8,107
1061.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$77.8 ₹7,363
391.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$270 ₹25.6K
519.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$188 ₹17.8K
473.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$926 ₹87.7K
321.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$542 ₹51.3K
1033.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Port Blair
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
$628 ₹59.5K
32.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
8.86
29.23%

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 Port Blair: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Port Blair
$78 79.7% $305
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Port Blair
$100 61.3% $158
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Port Blair
$65 67.7% $136
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Port Blair
$45 66.5% $89
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Port Blair
$51 54.5% $61
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Port Blair
$22 66.4% $44
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Port Blair
$10 80.1% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $86 in Port Blair. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 32% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $11 in Port Blair. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $100 – making Port Blair the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇮🇳 Port Blair
🕒 Local time
00:32 12:32 AM
11:02 11:02 AM
10 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
108,500
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 94.64 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.39 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Port Blair 16,420 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Port Blair

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 Port Blair: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Port Blair cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 225%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $555 in Port Blair. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Blair, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $86 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Port Blair?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $370 in Port Blair. That makes Port Blair about 69% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 75% less in Port Blair. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Port Blair?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Blair, where all-in costs run around $370, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Port Blair it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Port Blair more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Port Blair – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Port Blair. 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.

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