Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Stilbaai

For one person, living is cheaper in Stilbaai: $1,148 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $740 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Stilbaai
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Stilbaai Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Stilbaai

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,148 in Stilbaai, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Stilbaai $1,148

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,832 in Stilbaai, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Stilbaai $1,832

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,516 in Stilbaai, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Stilbaai $2,516

Playa del Carmen costs about 5% more than Stilbaai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and Stilbaai are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Stilbaai 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$11.91 R 196

-9.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$46.22 R 761

-6.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$6.10 R 100

93.28%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.38 R 39.28

62.61%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.26 R 20.84

8.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.96 R 15.77

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.95 R 48.65

5.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$3.58 R 59.1

41.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.38 R 22.74

4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.26 R 20.69

76.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.20 R 36.30

-33.18%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.97 R 48.89

-14.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$8.94 R 147

-18.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$6.94 R 114

13.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$9.58 R 158

33.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$1.92 R 31.62

51.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.94 R 32.00

-25.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.65 R 27.23

54.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$2.13 R 35.11

-3.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.55 R 25.57

29.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.47 R 24.20

36.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.28 R 21.04

-7.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.18 R 19.49

6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.56 R 58.7

23.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$5.97 R 98.4

60.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.32 R 21.71

20.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.15 R 35.46

30.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.48 R 24.38

-61.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$0.59 R 9.68

744.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.53 R 25.16

128.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$5.07 R 83.6

6.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.52 R 25.00

-3.29%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$35.0K R 577.0K

-40.08%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$31.2K R 513.6K

-23.31%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$114 R 1,883

-26.32%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$28.76 R 474

-16.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$39.29 R 647

-26.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$31.60 R 521

99.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$10.58 R 174

175.43%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$8.83 R 145

-44.05%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$267 R 4,405

-23.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$6,885 R 113.4K

-42.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$56.3 R 928

-22.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$32.76 R 540

31.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$120 R 1,981

-36.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$105 R 1,726

-15.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$387 R 6,374

160.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$363 R 5,973

3.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$739 R 12.2K

131.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$742 R 12.2K

49.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$864 R 14.2K

356.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$663 R 10.9K

830.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.97

4.38%

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 Stilbaai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Stilbaai

$363 31.6% 3.1% $11

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Stilbaai

$226 19.6% 12.7% $33

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Stilbaai

$173 15.1% 14.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Stilbaai

$182 15.9% 32.9% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Stilbaai

$141 12.3% 25.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Stilbaai

$49 4.3% 32.4% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Stilbaai

$14 * 1.2% 73.1% $38

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 $387 in Stilbaai. 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $46.00 in Stilbaai. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $226 in Stilbaai – so Stilbaai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Stilbaai

🕒 Local time

01:29 1:29 AM

08:29 8:29 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

8,000

💱 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 Stilbaai 12,940 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Stilbaai

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 Stilbaai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,722 in Stilbaai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stilbaai, 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 $1,148 in Stilbaai. That's a gap of about 5%.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $267 in Stilbaai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Stilbaai, where all-in costs run around $1,148, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Stilbaai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Stilbaai – 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 Stilbaai. 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.