Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Praia

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Praia: $1,215 and $1,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Praia
Learn more

Praia Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Praia

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,202 in Praia, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Praia $1,202

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,804 in Praia, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Praia $1,804

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,407 in Praia, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Praia $2,407

Playa del Carmen costs about 1% more than Praia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Praia are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Praia 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$5.10 CVE 502

115.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$36.09 CVE 3,553

24.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$7.08 CVE 697

68.36%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$2.65 CVE 260

43.40%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$1.60 CVE 157

-18.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$1.19 CVE 117

-27.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$2.55 CVE 251

25.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$1.98 CVE 195

153.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.39 CVE 137

5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$2.04 CVE 200

14.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$3.54 CVE 349

-59.32%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$2.36 CVE 232

4.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$26.35 CVE 2,595

-70.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$4.68 CVE 461

68.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$16.59 CVE 1,634

-22.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$5.11 CVE 503

-42.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$2.97 CVE 292

-52.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$4.08 CVE 402

-37.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$4.33 CVE 427

-50.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.48 CVE 146

31.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.44 CVE 142

34.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.00 CVE 98.0

15.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$1.50 CVE 147

-18.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$5.29 CVE 521

-17.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$8.33 CVE 820

18.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.81 CVE 178

-14.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$1.79 CVE 177

51.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$0.81 CVE 79.5

-35.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$29.32 CVE 2,887

-6.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$1.75 CVE 173

180.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$1.22 CVE 120

188.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.55 CVE 153

-0.65%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$29.1K CVE 2.9M

-27.04%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$37.4K CVE 3.7M

-34.60%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$178 CVE 17.5K

-53.09%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$18.15 CVE 1,787

32.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$50.8 CVE 5,000

-42.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$32.07 CVE 3,158

102.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$9.98 CVE 983

195.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$5.60 CVE 551

-9.11%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$128 CVE 12.6K

62.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$3,146 CVE 309.7K

28.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$61.9 CVE 6,094

-28.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$25.25 CVE 2,486

66.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$66.0 CVE 6,499

14.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$89.7 CVE 8,835

1.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$586 CVE 57.6K

68.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$291 CVE 28.7K

32.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$890 CVE 87.6K

92.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$471 CVE 46.4K

135.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$1,337 CVE 131.6K

200.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$982 CVE 96.6K

536.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$302 CVE 29.7K

151.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

43.12%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Praia: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Praia

$291 24.2% 24.4% $94

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Praia

$350 29.1% 34.5% $90

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Praia

$122 10.1% 40.4% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Praia

$247 20.6% 80.5% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Praia

$109 9.1% 4.2% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Praia

$43 3.6% 42.3% $32

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Praia

$40 3.4% 22.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $586 in Praia. 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 151% 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 $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $36.00 in Praia. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Playa del Carmen vs $350 in Praia – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇻 Praia

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

4 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

127,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.16 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 98.45 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Praia 6,720 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Praia

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 Praia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,803 in Praia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $1,202 in Praia. That's a gap of about 1%.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Praia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Praia, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,215. In Praia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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