Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Taipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,004 in Taipa, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Taipa
Learn more

Taipa Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Taipa

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,004

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,004 in Taipa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Taipa $2,004

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,157 in Taipa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Taipa $3,157

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,310 in Taipa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Taipa $4,310

Playa del Carmen is about 40% cheaper than Taipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Taipa is 47% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$6.14 MOP 49.60

77.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$54.6 MOP 441

-20.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$5.80 MOP 46.86

103.10%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$5.11 MOP 41.28

-25.44%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.76 MOP 6.15

68.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.36 MOP 2.89

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$5.80 MOP 46.90

-45.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$7.51 MOP 60.7

-34.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$3.18 MOP 25.72

-55.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.71 MOP 13.80

29.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.64 MOP 13.27

-13.41%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$3.38 MOP 27.31

-25.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$15.94 MOP 129

-54.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$19.26 MOP 156

-60.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$28.49 MOP 230

-55.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.57 MOP 20.80

8.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$2.94 MOP 23.73

-53.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.86 MOP 15.04

37.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$2.33 MOP 18.85

-9.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$3.86 MOP 31.19

-49.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.94 MOP 23.75

-35.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.63 MOP 5.06

82.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.20 MOP 9.69

-1.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$6.85 MOP 55.4

-37.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$12.21 MOP 98.6

-18.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.71 MOP 13.83

-7.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.24 MOP 18.10

19.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.61 MOP 21.09

90.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.28 MOP 10.33

160.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$14.93 MOP 121

-64.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.80 MOP 14.52

-20.00%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$31.5K MOP 254.4K

-34.37%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$31.5K MOP 254.8K

-25.58%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$120 MOP 969

-29.33%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$23.95 MOP 194

-2.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$37.07 MOP 300

-22.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$73.9 MOP 597

-22.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$3.69 MOP 29.81

683.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$12.14 MOP 98.1

-57.66%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$1,212 MOP 9,795

-82.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$19.3K MOP 155.6K

-79.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$68.7 MOP 555

-36.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$33.69 MOP 272

23.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$91.9 MOP 743

-19.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$134 MOP 1,085

-33.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$1,056 MOP 8,533

-7.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$972 MOP 7,850

-60.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$2,138 MOP 17.3K

-20.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,939 MOP 15.7K

-44.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$15.7K MOP 127.0K

-74.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$13.4K MOP 108.0K

-53.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

281.67%

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 Taipa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Taipa

$972 48.5% 155% $591

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Taipa

$420 21% 64.9% $165

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Taipa

$176 8.8% 12.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Taipa

$181 9% 32.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Taipa

$148 7.4% 32.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Taipa

$98 4.9% 45.9% $31

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Taipa

$9 * 0.5% 82.2% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,056 in Taipa. 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $55 in Taipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $420 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇴 Taipa

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

08:13 8:13 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

78,497

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.111 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MOP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 8.99 MOP (1 MOP = 0.111 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Taipa 14,760 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Taipa

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 Taipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Taipa is pricier by about 66%, 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 $3,006 in Taipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,056 in Taipa. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,004 in Taipa. That makes Playa del Carmen about 40% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,212 in Taipa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Taipa at $2,004. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taipa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.