Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Stellenbosch

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Stellenbosch: $1,210 and $1,165 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,165

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,165 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Stellenbosch $1,165

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,913 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Stellenbosch $1,913

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,660 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Stellenbosch $2,660

Playa del Carmen costs about 4% more than Stellenbosch, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Stellenbosch are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Stellenbosch 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$7.29 R 120

47.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$35.82 R 590

20.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$4.72 R 77.8

149.79%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.05 R 33.74

88.78%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.00 R 16.52

37.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.77 R 12.67

9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.70 R 44.51

14.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$3.08 R 50.7

64.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.34 R 22.16

7.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.14 R 18.85

95.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.86 R 30.68

-20.97%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.84 R 46.86

-10.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$8.62 R 142

-15.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$5.80 R 95.6

35.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$7.51 R 124

70.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$1.74 R 28.67

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.47 R 24.14

-2.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.69 R 27.78

50.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.59 R 26.17

29.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.09 R 17.89

83.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.53 R 25.17

31.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.30 R 21.50

-8.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.17 R 19.36

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.52 R 58.1

25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$6.17 R 102

55.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.33 R 21.93

19.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.18 R 35.91

28.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$0.61 R 10.10

716.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.55 R 25.56

125.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$5.02 R 82.7

7.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.40 R 23.05

5.00%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$35.0K R 577.2K

-40.10%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$31.0K R 510.9K

-22.90%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$103 R 1,691

-17.95%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$28.53 R 470

-15.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$34.28 R 565

-15.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$29.25 R 482

115.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$16.81 R 277

73.35%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$8.89 R 146

-44.43%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$264 R 4,351

-22.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$2,389 R 39.4K

64.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$52.1 R 858

-16.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$28.72 R 473

50.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$118 R 1,951

-36.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$90.2 R 1,486

-1.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$698 R 11.5K

44.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$488 R 8,038

-23.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,443 R 23.8K

18.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$1,155 R 19.0K

-4.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$2,556 R 42.1K

-70.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.7

7.01%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Stellenbosch

$488 41.9% 30.4% $114

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Stellenbosch

$202 17.4% 21.7% $56

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Stellenbosch

$124 10.6% 38.8% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Stellenbosch

$165 14.2% 20.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Stellenbosch

$130 11.2% 15.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Stellenbosch

$47 4% 35.4% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Stellenbosch

$8.4 * 0.7% 84.1% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $698 in Stellenbosch. 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 239% higher in Stellenbosch, 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $36.00 in Stellenbosch. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $202 – making Stellenbosch the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🕒 Local time

06:40 6:40 AM

13:40 1:40 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

19,068

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Stellenbosch 12,700 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Stellenbosch

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 Stellenbosch: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,748 in Stellenbosch. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stellenbosch, 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 $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $1,165 in Stellenbosch. That's a gap of about 4%.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $264 in Stellenbosch. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Stellenbosch, where all-in costs run around $1,165, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Stellenbosch it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Stellenbosch – 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 Stellenbosch. 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.