Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Surinam

For one person, living is cheaper in Surinam: $624 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Surinam, Mauritius
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Surinam
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$624
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $624 in Surinam, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Surinam $624

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,046 in Surinam, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Surinam $1,046

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,469 in Surinam, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Surinam $1,469

Playa del Carmen costs about 93% more than Surinam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Surinam are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Surinam 54% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Surinam
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$5.90 MUR 275
85.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$813
$38.29 MUR 1,784
13.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$7.48 MUR 348
57.49%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.4
$2.61 MUR 121
45.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.03
$1.13 MUR 52.8
13.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.67
$0.68 MUR 31.66
14.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.3
$2.58 MUR 120
22.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.5
$4.65 MUR 217
6.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Surinam
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.35
$1.60 MUR 74.4
-11.88%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.54
$0.74 MUR 34.55
200.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.56
$1.16 MUR 54.1
22.41%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.27
$2.55 MUR 119
-1.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$5.20 MUR 242
39.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$6.48 MUR 302
18.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$11.15 MUR 520
13.81%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.2
$2.79 MUR 130
-0.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.64
$2.71 MUR 126
-49.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.80
$1.45 MUR 67.4
75.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.78
$2.95 MUR 137
-28.14%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.32
$0.94 MUR 43.68
106.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.34
$1.01 MUR 47.26
87.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.49
$0.75 MUR 34.77
53.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.09
$0.84 MUR 39.33
40.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.5
$6.31 MUR 294
-31.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$186
$8.62 MUR 402
15.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.67
$1.65 MUR 76.7
-4.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$2.36 MUR 110
13.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Surinam
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.37
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$499
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.1
$4.27 MUR 199
16.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.4
$3.16 MUR 147
5.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$100
$20.84 MUR 971
-74.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.06
$1.42 MUR 66.0
1.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$387.3K
$37.1K MUR 1.7M
-44.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$439.7K
$31.5K MUR 1.5M
-25.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Surinam
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,589
$44.96 MUR 2,094
88.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$10.55 MUR 491
121.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$537
$29.52 MUR 1,375
-2.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Surinam
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,069
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$542
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.3
$6.49 MUR 302
-20.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Surinam
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,871
$128 MUR 5,985
60.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.6K
$7,668 MUR 357.2K
-48.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Surinam
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$812
$76.3 MUR 3,553
-43.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$777
$73.5 MUR 3,425
-43.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,390
$121 MUR 5,644
-38.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,672
$77.9 MUR 3,629
14.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Surinam
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,136
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.0K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.4K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Surinam
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
6.67
71.66%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Surinam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Surinam
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Surinam
$219 14.2% $36
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Surinam
$130 35.6% $72
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Surinam
$85 37.9% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Surinam
$157 40.5% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Surinam
$13 * 80.7% $54
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Surinam
$20 * 60.3% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $38 in Surinam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $219 – making Surinam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇲🇺 Surinam
🕒 Local time
16:04 4:04 PM
01:04 1:04 AM
9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
10,500
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 52.21 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Surinam 16,340 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Surinam

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 Surinam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Surinam cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $936 in Surinam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Surinam?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $624 in Surinam. That makes Surinam about 48% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $128 in Surinam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Surinam?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Surinam, where all-in costs run around $624, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Surinam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city suits remote workers better?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Surinam costs $624 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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