Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Puerto Plata Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Puerto Plata

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 50.3% more expensive than Puerto Plata without rent, and 46.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 26.4% more expensive than Puerto Plata without rent, and 73.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Plata
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$210
$5.12 DOP 304
131.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$746
$38.10 DOP 2,264
10.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$7.43 DOP 441
44.68%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.5
$1.35 DOP 80.5
157.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.72
$0.95 DOP 56.2
52.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.98
$0.73 DOP 43.28
23.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.1
$2.34 DOP 139
30.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$78.2
$3.73 DOP 221
18.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Plata
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.24
$1.03 DOP 61.5
33.01%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.14
$1.81 DOP 107
3.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.32
$0.99 DOP 58.7
55.56%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.31
$1.41 DOP 83.9
77.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$3.03 DOP 180
184.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$153
$4.30 DOP 255
100.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$3.67 DOP 218
200.27%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.67
$3.21 DOP 191
-14.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.28
$0.93 DOP 55.2
53.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.15
$2.90 DOP 172
-35.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.37
$1.99 DOP 118
9.05%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.33
$1.83 DOP 109
2.73%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.76
$2.38 DOP 141
-5.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.90
$1.08 DOP 64.2
-0.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.00
$0.18 DOP 10.74
494.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.5
$3.47 DOP 206
19.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$183
$11.51 DOP 684
-10.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.72
$2.55 DOP 151
-34.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.97
$3.26 DOP 194
-23.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Plata
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.82
$0.53 DOP 31.23
3.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$470
$31.14 DOP 1,850
-14.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.9
$3.48 DOP 207
-7.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.93
$2.22 DOP 132
11.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.0
$2.56 DOP 152
21.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.22
$1.21 DOP 72.1
4.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$542.7K
$26.1K DOP 1.6M
17.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$425.5K
$32.3K DOP 1.9M
-25.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Plata
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,460
$50.7 DOP 3,014
62.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$394
$25.35 DOP 1,507
-12.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$531
$36.51 DOP 2,170
-17.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Plata
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$911
$8.54 DOP 508
502.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$324
$8.27 DOP 492
121.16%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.2
$4.86 DOP 289
2.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Plata
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,540
$267 DOP 15.8K
-24.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.9K
$1,015 DOP 60.3K
422.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Plata
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$632
$46.08 DOP 2,738
-22.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$700
$44.34 DOP 2,634
-10.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,426
$87.2 DOP 5,184
-7.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,563
$62.9 DOP 3,740
40.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Plata
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.2K
$354 DOP 21.0K
174.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,535
$269 DOP 16.0K
79.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$809 DOP 48.1K
97.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.0K
$418 DOP 24.8K
183.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.4K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Plata
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
7.15
59.72%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Puerto Plata: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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