Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Puerto Princesa

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Princesa: $842 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Princesa
Learn more

Puerto Princesa Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Puerto Princesa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Puerto Princesa

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $842 in Puerto Princesa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Puerto Princesa $842

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,245 in Puerto Princesa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Puerto Princesa $1,245

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,648 in Puerto Princesa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Puerto Princesa $1,648

Playa del Carmen costs about 43% more than Puerto Princesa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Puerto Princesa are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Puerto Princesa 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.57 ₱227

198.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$20.46 ₱1,298

114.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$3.27 ₱207

260.55%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.18 ₱139

73.85%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.77 ₱49.04

68.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.44 ₱28.18

88.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.20 ₱76.3

162.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.15 ₱136

129.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.69 ₱107

-16.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.14 ₱72.6

92.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.77 ₱48.99

90.91%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.89 ₱120

32.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$4.75 ₱301

53.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.16 ₱264

91.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.37 ₱467

74.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.48 ₱157

16.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.81 ₱115

-23.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$2.61 ₱165

-4.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$0.93 ₱58.9

118.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.53 ₱97.1

32.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.51 ₱95.6

25.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.90 ₱57.1

26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.51 ₱32.52

143.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.78 ₱176

53.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$7.01 ₱445

39.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.08 ₱68.6

47.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.84 ₱117

49.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.25 ₱15.91

104.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$13.38 ₱849

104.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.80 ₱50.8

495.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.22 ₱14.08

1377.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$1.84 ₱117

192.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.02 ₱64.7

50.00%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$16.3K ₱1.0M

30.16%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

23.64%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$110 ₱6,985

-24.17%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$16.01 ₱1,016

44.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$26.74 ₱1,696

3.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$32.08 ₱2,035

75.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$4.95 ₱314

1.01%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$269 ₱17.1K

-23.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$7,369 ₱467.5K

-29.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$49.23 ₱3,123

-11.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$27.64 ₱1,753

53.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$71.0 ₱4,506

2.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$59.7 ₱3,790

47.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$414 ₱26.3K

140.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$283 ₱17.9K

35.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$797 ₱50.6K

110.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$484 ₱30.7K

123.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$3,936 ₱249.7K

-0.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$2,410 ₱152.9K

154.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$287 ₱18.2K

189.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

63.57%

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 Puerto Princesa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Puerto Princesa

$283 33.6% 26.1% $100

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Puerto Princesa

$175 20.8% 32.1% $83

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Puerto Princesa

$80 9.5% 60.2% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Puerto Princesa

$153 18.2% 13.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Puerto Princesa

$93 11.1% 16% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Puerto Princesa

$42 5% 36.8% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Puerto Princesa

$16 1.9% 67.7% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $414 in Puerto Princesa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $20 in Puerto Princesa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $175 – making Puerto Princesa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Puerto Princesa

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

08:02 8:02 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

307,079

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.44 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.95 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Puerto Princesa 15,610 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Puerto Princesa

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 Puerto Princesa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,263 in Puerto Princesa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Puerto Princesa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $414 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $842 in Puerto Princesa. That makes Puerto Princesa about 30% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 51% less in Puerto Princesa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Princesa, where all-in costs run around $842, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Puerto Princesa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Puerto Princesa costs $842 versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Puerto Princesa. 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.