Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Punta Cana Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Punta Cana

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 14.1% more expensive than Punta Cana without rent, and 9.9% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 3% more expensive than Punta Cana without rent, and 18% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Punta Cana
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$8.66 DOP 517
36.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$51.1 DOP 3,052
-17.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$7.44 DOP 444
44.49%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$2.58 DOP 154
34.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$1.04 DOP 62.0
39.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.78 DOP 46.63
15.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$2.59 DOP 155
17.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$5.11 DOP 305
-13.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Punta Cana
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$1.40 DOP 83.5
-2.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$1.40 DOP 83.6
33.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$1.48 DOP 88.7
4.05%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$2.31 DOP 138
8.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$7.06 DOP 422
21.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$6.33 DOP 378
36.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$10.40 DOP 621
5.96%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$3.14 DOP 187
-12.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$0.92 DOP 54.7
55.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$2.20 DOP 131
-15.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.94 DOP 116
11.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$1.06 DOP 63.2
77.36%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$1.51 DOP 90.2
49.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$0.78 DOP 46.47
37.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$0.91 DOP 54.2
17.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$5.92 DOP 354
-29.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$11.51 DOP 687
-10.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$2.72 DOP 163
-38.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$3.27 DOP 195
-24.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Punta Cana
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$0.88 DOP 52.4
-37.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$3.42 DOP 204
-5.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$2.13 DOP 127
16.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$5.96 DOP 356
-47.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.32 DOP 78.8
-4.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$26.9K DOP 1.6M
13.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$31.4K DOP 1.9M
-23.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Punta Cana
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$77.8 DOP 4,644
6.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$19.27 DOP 1,151
15.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$36.43 DOP 2,176
-17.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Punta Cana
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$64.2 DOP 3,834
-19.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$5.05 DOP 302
-1.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Punta Cana
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$264 DOP 15.8K
-24.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$7,357 DOP 439.4K
-27.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Punta Cana
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$15.76 DOP 941
126.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$52.3 DOP 3,125
-24.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$67.3 DOP 4,021
19.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$117 DOP 6,989
-24.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Punta Cana
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$849 DOP 50.7K
14.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$647 DOP 38.7K
-25.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$1,281 DOP 76.5K
24.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$882 DOP 52.7K
34.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
$2,986 DOP 178.3K
35.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
$1,297 DOP 77.5K
402.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Punta Cana
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
12.9
-11.47%

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 Punta Cana: March 2, 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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