Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Roseau

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Roseau: $1,204 and $1,259 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Roseau
Learn more

Roseau Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Roseau

🇩🇲 Dominica

$1,259

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,259 in Roseau, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Roseau $1,259

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,123 in Roseau, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Roseau $2,123

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,988 in Roseau, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Roseau $2,988

Playa del Carmen is about 4% cheaper than Roseau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Roseau are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Roseau 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$7.45 EC$20.11

45.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$56.2 EC$152

-21.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$6.62 EC$17.89

77.64%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$4.19 EC$11.31

-12.17%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.41 EC$6.50

-44.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$2.17 EC$5.86

-62.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.83 EC$4.93

67.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.66 EC$7.19

85.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$3.27 EC$8.82

-55.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.13 EC$5.76

4.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.22 EC$3.29

21.31%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$5.44 EC$14.69

-54.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$2.42 EC$6.54

210.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$11.07 EC$29.90

-28.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$13.03 EC$35.19

-3.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$6.58 EC$17.76

-57.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.44 EC$6.58

-41.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$4.57 EC$12.34

-42.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$5.07 EC$13.68

-57.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$3.52 EC$9.52

-42.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$3.04 EC$8.21

-34.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$2.11 EC$5.70

-45.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$2.72 EC$7.34

-55.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$7.46 EC$20.15

-42.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$10.91 EC$29.44

-8.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.63 EC$7.10

-41.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.99 EC$8.08

-11.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.88 EC$5.08

-71.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$53.4 EC$144

-48.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$5.39 EC$14.54

-9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.93 EC$7.90

17.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$10.09 EC$27.25

-46.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.43 EC$3.87

1.40%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$35.6K EC$96.0K

-40.50%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$29.6K EC$80.0K

-22.33%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$143 EC$386

-40.27%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$44.39 EC$120

-47.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$70.4 EC$190

-59.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$45.93 EC$124

35.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$23.10 EC$62.4

24.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$8.11 EC$21.89

-37.11%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$131 EC$353

53.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$4,365 EC$11.8K

-9.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$55.7 EC$150

-20.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$36.72 EC$99.1

12.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$74.7 EC$202

-2.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$91.5 EC$247

-2.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$288 EC$778

239.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$207 EC$558

80.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$882 EC$2,381

90.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$645 EC$1,741

69.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$123 EC$333

3104.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$55.5 EC$150

10964.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$473 EC$1,277

55.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.6

50.66%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Roseau: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Roseau

$207 16.4% 44.5% $166

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Roseau

$372 29.6% 44% $114

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Roseau

$163 12.9% 18.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Roseau

$258 20.5% 87.7% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Roseau

$116 9.3% 4.2% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Roseau

$62 4.9% 14.2% $10

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Roseau

$81 6.4% 56.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $288 in Roseau. 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 56% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $56.0 in Roseau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $372 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇲 Roseau

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

12:11 12:11 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

15,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.329 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.04 XCD (1 XCD = 0.329 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Roseau 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Roseau

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 Roseau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Roseau is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,888 in Roseau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,259 in Roseau. That's a gap of about 5%.

Public transport costs about 94% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Roseau at $1,259. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Roseau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – 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 Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Roseau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.