Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Quezon City

For one person, living is cheaper in Quezon City: $923 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Quezon City
Learn more

Quezon City Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Quezon City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$923

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Quezon City

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $923 in Quezon City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Quezon City $923

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,469 in Quezon City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Quezon City $1,469

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,016 in Quezon City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Quezon City $2,016

Playa del Carmen costs about 31% more than Quezon City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Quezon City are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Quezon City 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$4.29 ₱274

154.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$19.04 ₱1,218

127.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$2.70 ₱173

336.30%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.62 ₱167

45.42%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.67 ₱43.09

91.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.26 ₱16.54

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.42 ₱91.1

123.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$2.80 ₱179

76.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.67 ₱107

-15.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.10 ₱70.2

101.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$0.85 ₱54.2

67.06%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.76 ₱113

43.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.60 ₱422

10.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.10 ₱262

87.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$7.05 ₱451

80.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.96 ₱254

-29.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.41 ₱90.4

-2.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$3.49 ₱223

-26.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.14 ₱73.1

85.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$2.26 ₱145

-14.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$3.29 ₱211

-42.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.36 ₱87.0

-15.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.95 ₱60.6

24.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$2.75 ₱176

56.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$7.24 ₱463

37.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.27 ₱81.0

24.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.72 ₱110

55.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.26 ₱16.54

111.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$19.11 ₱1,223

39.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.80 ₱51.3

521.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.23 ₱14.75

1347.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$2.56 ₱164

109.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.17 ₱75.2

23.08%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$21.2K ₱1.4M

-2.38%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$18.6K ₱1.2M

26.02%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$161 ₱10.3K

-47.30%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$14.15 ₱905

65.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$24.29 ₱1,554

17.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$37.60 ₱2,406

51.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$3.33 ₱213

768.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$7.09 ₱454

-27.50%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$71.8 ₱4,595

187.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$2,476 ₱158.4K

58.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$34.53 ₱2,210

25.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$21.92 ₱1,403

89.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$78.5 ₱5,022

-5.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$75.5 ₱4,833

18.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$476 ₱30.5K

105.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$263 ₱16.8K

44.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$984 ₱63.0K

73.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$691 ₱44.2K

55.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,779 ₱177.9K

41.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,839 ₱117.7K

234.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$428 ₱27.4K

71.51%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Quezon City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Quezon City

$263 28.5% 31% $118

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Quezon City

$202 21.9% 20.7% $53

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Quezon City

$90 9.8% 55.4% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Quezon City

$199 21.6% 45.6% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Quezon City

$95 10.3% 15.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Quezon City

$52 5.6% 23.1% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Quezon City

$22 2.4% 56.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $476 in Quezon City. 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 72% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $19 in Quezon City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $202 – making Quezon City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Quezon City

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

11:14 11:14 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,936,116

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.24 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Quezon City 15,030 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Quezon City

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 Quezon City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,384 in Quezon City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quezon City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $476 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $923 in Quezon City. That makes Quezon City about 23% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Quezon City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $923 in Quezon City. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

If budget matters most, go with Quezon City. 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.