Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Port Louis

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Louis: $949 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Port Louis, Mauritius
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Port Louis
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$949
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $949 in Port Louis, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Port Louis $949

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,600 in Port Louis, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Port Louis $1,600

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,252 in Port Louis, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Port Louis $2,252

Playa del Carmen costs about 27% more than Port Louis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Port Louis are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Port Louis 30% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Port Louis
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$5.88 MUR 277
85.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$38.03 MUR 1,792
14.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$7.41 MUR 349
58.97%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$2.62 MUR 123
45.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$1.18 MUR 55.5
8.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$0.67 MUR 31.38
16.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$2.60 MUR 122
21.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$4.77 MUR 225
3.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Port Louis
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$1.55 MUR 73.2
-9.03%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$0.75 MUR 35.28
196.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$1.15 MUR 54.4
23.48%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$2.68 MUR 126
-5.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$5.39 MUR 254
34.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$6.46 MUR 304
19.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$11.42 MUR 538
11.12%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$2.87 MUR 135
-3.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$2.62 MUR 123
-47.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$1.41 MUR 66.2
80.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$3.01 MUR 142
-29.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$1.02 MUR 48.07
90.20%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$1.01 MUR 47.58
87.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$0.74 MUR 34.80
55.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$0.86 MUR 40.42
37.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$6.66 MUR 314
-35.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$8.68 MUR 409
14.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$1.69 MUR 79.5
-6.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$2.38 MUR 112
12.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Port Louis
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$0.87 MUR 41.16
-36.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$21.41 MUR 1,009
24.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$4.34 MUR 205
14.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$3.26 MUR 154
2.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$21.38 MUR 1,007
-74.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$1.36 MUR 64.1
5.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$36.7K MUR 1.7M
-43.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$31.1K MUR 1.5M
-24.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Port Louis
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$44.43 MUR 2,094
90.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$10.55 MUR 497
121.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$28.91 MUR 1,362
-0.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Port Louis
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$25.90 MUR 1,220
120.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$3.79 MUR 179
662.80%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$6.43 MUR 303
-20.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Port Louis
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$128 MUR 6,053
60.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$7,599 MUR 358.0K
-48.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Port Louis
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$78.7 MUR 3,709
-44.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$75.1 MUR 3,540
-44.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$118 MUR 5,568
-37.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$77.2 MUR 3,639
15.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Port Louis
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$484 MUR 22.8K
102.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$272 MUR 12.8K
39.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$978 MUR 46.1K
74.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$672 MUR 31.7K
60.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
$4,124 MUR 194.3K
-4.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
$1,053 MUR 49.6K
485.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Port Louis
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$682 MUR 32.1K
7.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
6.67
71.66%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Port Louis: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Port Louis
$272 28.5% $108
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Port Louis
$221 13.4% $34
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Port Louis
$131 35.5% $72
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Port Louis
$84 38.7% $53
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Port Louis
$157 40.7% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Port Louis
$39 42.4% $29
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Port Louis
$46 9.7% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $484 in Port Louis. 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 8% 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $38 in Port Louis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $221 – making Port Louis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇲🇺 Port Louis
🕒 Local time
22:05 10:05 PM
07:05 7:05 AM
9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
147,688 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 47.12 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.61 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Port Louis 16,330 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Port Louis

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 Louis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Port Louis cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,423 in Port Louis. 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 Louis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $484 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Port Louis?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $949 in Port Louis. That makes Port Louis about 21% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 20% less in Port Louis. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $800 enough to cover costs in Playa del Carmen or in Port Louis?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $949 in Port Louis. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Playa del Carmen or Port Louis more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Port Louis – 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 Louis. 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.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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