Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Port Elizabeth

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Port Elizabeth: $1,210 and $1,216 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,216 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Port Elizabeth $1,216

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,835 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Port Elizabeth $1,835

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,453 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Port Elizabeth $2,453

Playa del Carmen and Port Elizabeth have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Playa del Carmen and Port Elizabeth are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Port Elizabeth 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$11.00 R 181

-2.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$41.67 R 687

3.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$5.84 R 96.2

101.88%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.17 R 35.81

78.34%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.03 R 16.91

33.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.76 R 12.59

10.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.69 R 44.37

15.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$3.24 R 53.3

56.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.12 R 18.39

28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.04 R 17.20

114.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.51 R 24.94

-2.65%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.81 R 46.35

-9.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$8.58 R 141

-14.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$5.33 R 87.7

47.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$8.36 R 138

52.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.19 R 36.04

32.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.49 R 24.58

-3.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.70 R 28.04

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.81 R 29.74

13.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.66 R 27.41

20.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.45 R 23.83

38.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.26 R 20.72

-5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.99 R 16.39

27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.26 R 53.8

34.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$4.82 R 79.4

98.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.27 R 20.99

25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.82 R 30.00

54.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.10 R 18.17

-48.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$36.67 R 604

-24.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$2.04 R 33.68

144.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.50 R 8.25

600.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$8.45 R 139

-36.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.48 R 24.38

-0.68%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$35.8K R 589.5K

-41.35%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$34.1K R 562.5K

-29.98%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$125 R 2,058

-32.59%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$34.90 R 575

-31.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$44.55 R 734

-34.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$32.20 R 530

95.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$23.27 R 383

25.23%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$10.74 R 177

-54.00%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$177 R 2,924

14.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$6,046 R 99.6K

-34.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$72.4 R 1,193

-39.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$38.28 R 631

12.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$110 R 1,806

-30.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$95.6 R 1,574

-7.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$598 R 9,859

68.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$415 R 6,838

-9.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$808 R 13.3K

111.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$682 R 11.2K

62.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$764 R 12.6K

416.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$522 R 8,604

1081.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$1,625 R 26.8K

-53.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.94

-4.10%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Port Elizabeth

$415 34.1% 11% $41

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2% 23.9% $62

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Port Elizabeth

$159 13.1% 21.5% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Port Elizabeth

$204 16.8% 48.9% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7% 25.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Port Elizabeth

$54 4.4% 26.3% $19

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Port Elizabeth

$46 3.8% 13.2% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $598 in Port Elizabeth. 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 115% higher in Port Elizabeth. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $42.00 in Port Elizabeth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $197 – making Port Elizabeth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🕒 Local time

07:35 7:35 AM

14:35 2:35 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,050,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Port Elizabeth 13,320 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Port Elizabeth

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 Elizabeth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,824 in Port Elizabeth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 31% cheaper in Port Elizabeth – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $177 in Port Elizabeth. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Port Elizabeth at $1,216. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Elizabeth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – 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 Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Port Elizabeth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.