Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tagum City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagum City: $429 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Tagum City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$429

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Tagum City

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $429 in Tagum City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Tagum City $429

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $532 in Tagum City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Tagum City $532

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $635 in Tagum City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Tagum City $635

Playa del Carmen costs about 181% more than Tagum City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Tagum City are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Tagum City 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$5.56 ₱356

96.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$12.74 ₱816

240.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$5.00 ₱320

135.60%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.21 ₱141

72.40%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.90 ₱122

66.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$1.37 ₱88.0

259.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.65 ₱106

-14.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.85 ₱118

36.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$7.63 ₱488

66.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$6.22 ₱398

-55.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.36 ₱87.3

16.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.22 ₱14.01

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.31 ₱83.8

9.92%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$54.2 ₱3,467

56.53%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$7.88 ₱504

197.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$27.21 ₱1,742

5.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$23.49 ₱1,503

142.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$3.25 ₱208

58.15%

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

$207 MX$3,848

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$158 ₱10.1K

519.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$126 ₱8,033

203.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$317 ₱20.3K

439.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$203 ₱13.0K

261.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Tagum City: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Tagum City

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Tagum City

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Tagum City

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Tagum City

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Tagum City

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Tagum City

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Tagum City

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $158 in Tagum City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $13 in Tagum City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $85 – making Tagum City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Tagum City

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

17:17 5:17 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

296,202

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.41 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Tagum City 15,250 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Tagum City

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 Tagum City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 181%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $643 in Tagum City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tagum City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $158 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 201% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $13 in Tagum City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Tagum City, where all-in costs run around $429, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Tagum City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $429 in Tagum City to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Tagum City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.