Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Springbok

For one person, living is cheaper in Springbok: $1,164 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $460 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Springbok
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Springbok Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Springbok

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,164 in Springbok, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Springbok $1,164

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,767 in Springbok, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Springbok $1,767

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,371 in Springbok, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Springbok $2,371

Playa del Carmen costs about 3% more than Springbok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Springbok are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Springbok 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$9.70 R 159

10.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$38.02 R 624

15.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$5.84 R 95.8

101.88%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.19 R 35.96

73.06%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.03 R 16.87

26.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.79 R 13.04

5.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.44 R 39.99

29.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.63 R 43.20

87.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.17 R 19.24

20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.16 R 19.05

89.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.79 R 29.42

-17.88%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.50 R 41.06

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.15 R 134

-10.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$5.43 R 89.1

46.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$6.97 R 114

84.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.79 R 29.45

62.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.67 R 27.48

-17.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.73 R 28.34

43.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.67 R 27.34

21.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.44 R 23.66

40.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.37 R 22.56

38.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.14 R 18.78

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.21 R 19.77

2.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$3.28 R 53.8

30.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$4.85 R 79.6

102.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.35 R 22.23

17.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.98 R 32.52

38.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.71 R 28.12

-70.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$27.99 R 459

-2.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.85 R 14.01

460.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.80 R 13.16

306.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$11.85 R 194

-54.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.53 R 25.10

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$35.1K R 576.2K

-39.59%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$33.4K R 547.3K

-30.26%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$141 R 2,306

-40.60%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$35.00 R 574

-33.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$37.51 R 615

-26.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$32.39 R 531

74.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$10.39 R 170

171.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.79 R 128

-35.82%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$230 R 3,779

-10.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$5,825 R 95.6K

-10.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$53.9 R 884

-19.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$30.91 R 507

37.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$110 R 1,810

-34.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$86.4 R 1,418

2.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$361 R 5,916

175.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$396 R 6,499

-3.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$625 R 10.2K

168.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$717 R 11.8K

50.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$774 R 12.7K

404.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$723 R 11.9K

748.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.92

4.85%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Springbok: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Springbok

$396 34.1% 3.6% $14

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Springbok

$194 16.7% 24.7% $64

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Springbok

$146 12.6% 27% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Springbok

$213 18.3% 58.7% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Springbok

$127 10.9% 13.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Springbok

$48 4.1% 27.8% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Springbok

$40 3.4% 21.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $361 in Springbok. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $38 in Springbok. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $194 – making Springbok the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Springbok

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

06:18 6:18 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

10,438

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Springbok 12,520 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Springbok

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 Springbok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,745 in Springbok. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Springbok, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $361 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,164 in Springbok. That makes Springbok about 3% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $230 in Springbok. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,164 in Springbok, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,164 in Springbok to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.