Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Soweto Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Soweto

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 54.4% more expensive than Soweto without rent, and 24% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 10.9% more expensive than Soweto without rent, and 44.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Soweto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$8.58 RΒ 153
39.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$33.26 RΒ 592
27.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$4.83 RΒ 85.9
116.77%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.1 RΒ 37.36
71.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$1 RΒ 17.74
44.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.8 RΒ 14.28
11.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$2.27 RΒ 40.36
36.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$2.83 RΒ 50.4
61.84%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Soweto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.19 RΒ 21.1
15.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.06 RΒ 18.77
74.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.64 RΒ 29.16
-4.27%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.47 RΒ 43.89
3.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$7.55 RΒ 134
14.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$4.62 RΒ 82.1
84.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$6.32 RΒ 112
73.73%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$1.61 RΒ 28.62
68.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.46 RΒ 26.01
3.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.47 RΒ 26.15
27.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.6 RΒ 28.43
36.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.37 RΒ 24.41
36.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.22 RΒ 21.78
79.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.1 RΒ 19.57
-2.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.93 RΒ 16.6
17.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$2.84 RΒ 50.6
39.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$5.4 RΒ 96
64.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.34 RΒ 23.9
28.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$1.66 RΒ 29.47
57.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Soweto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$1.66 RΒ 29.58
-68.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$1.1 RΒ 19.6
194.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.94 RΒ 16.78
153.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$3.03 RΒ 53.9
2.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.22 RΒ 21.61
7.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$19.3K RΒ 342.6K
57.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$23.8K RΒ 423.3K
0.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Soweto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$116 RΒ 2,070
-27.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$36.84 RΒ 655
-39.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$38.77 RΒ 690
-22.26%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Soweto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$31.19 RΒ 555
66.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$7.14 RΒ 127
-28.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Soweto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$193 RΒ 3,437
3.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$4,295 RΒ 76.4K
24.15%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Soweto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$50.5 RΒ 897
-29.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$31.68 RΒ 563
25.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$88 RΒ 1,564
-10.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$78 RΒ 1,387
13.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Soweto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$358 RΒ 6,367
169.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$338 RΒ 6,015
40.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$690 RΒ 12.3K
139.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$686 RΒ 12.2K
75.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$757 RΒ 13.5K
307.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$567 RΒ 10.1K
1227.27%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Soweto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
11.51
-0.78%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Soweto: October 28, 2025

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