Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Secunda

For one person, living is cheaper in Secunda: $1,027 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Secunda
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Secunda Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Secunda

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,027 in Secunda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Secunda $1,027

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,667 in Secunda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Secunda $1,667

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,306 in Secunda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Secunda $2,306

Playa del Carmen costs about 17% more than Secunda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Secunda are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Secunda 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$6.20 R 102

75.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$30.52 R 503

44.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$5.22 R 86.0

125.29%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.27 R 37.42

62.11%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.81 R 13.38

65.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.51 R 8.33

60.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.07 R 17.59

185.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$1.38 R 22.72

257.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.16 R 19.14

26.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.87 R 14.33

155.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.84 R 30.33

-19.57%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.43 R 40.04

2.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$8.53 R 141

-11.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.88 R 80.4

63.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$7.11 R 117

76.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.75 R 28.78

58.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.68 R 27.69

-14.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.80 R 29.60

45.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.65 R 27.15

29.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.12 R 18.50

80.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.18 R 19.52

68.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.24 R 20.38

-8.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.30 R 21.48

-7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.35 R 55.3

27.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$5.01 R 82.6

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.53 R 25.21

0.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.92 R 31.66

38.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.37 R 22.65

-61.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.29 R 4.74

1589.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.76 R 12.51

351.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$14.36 R 237

-62.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.57 R 25.85

-7.64%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$35.7K R 587.4K

-40.66%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$35.5K R 584.4K

-35.11%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$156 R 2,569

-45.26%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$38.00 R 626

-38.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$37.12 R 612

-23.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$32.65 R 538

90.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$10.92 R 180

162.64%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$7.33 R 121

-30.42%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$91.7 R 1,510

119.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$5,457 R 89.9K

-27.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$54.3 R 895

-18.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$32.82 R 541

25.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$94.2 R 1,553

-22.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$82.6 R 1,360

8.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$403 R 6,638

143.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$324 R 5,336

15.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$708 R 11.7K

137.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$841 R 13.8K

30.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$839 R 13.8K

370.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$602 R 9,912

919.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$1,466 R 24.2K

-49.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.34

0.97%

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 Secunda: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Secunda

$324 31.5% 13.1% $49

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Secunda

$191 18.6% 26.2% $68

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Secunda

$106 10.3% 47.1% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Secunda

$231 22.5% 68.4% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Secunda

$119 11.6% 6.4% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Secunda

$47 4.6% 34.7% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Secunda

$9.6 * 0.9% 81.5% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $403 in Secunda. 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 99% higher in Secunda, 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 $31.00 in Secunda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $191 – making Secunda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Secunda

🕒 Local time

10:30 10:30 AM

17:30 5:30 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

40,198

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Secunda 13,550 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Secunda

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 Secunda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 17%, 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 $1,541 in Secunda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Secunda, 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 $1,027 in Secunda. That's a gap of about 17%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $91.7 in Secunda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Secunda, where all-in costs run around $1,027, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Secunda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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