Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Talisay City

For one person, living is cheaper in Talisay City: $728 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Talisay City
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Talisay City Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Talisay City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$728

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Talisay 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 Talisay City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $728 in Talisay City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Talisay City $728

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,105 in Talisay City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Talisay City $1,105

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,482 in Talisay City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Talisay City $1,482

Playa del Carmen costs about 65% more than Talisay City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Talisay City are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Talisay City 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$4.02 ₱253

170.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$16.50 ₱1,039

167.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$2.88 ₱181

308.33%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.19 ₱138

68.04%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.66 ₱41.66

103.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.31 ₱19.28

164.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.13 ₱71.1

170.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$1.93 ₱122

155.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.60 ₱101

-8.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.15 ₱72.4

93.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$0.96 ₱60.3

54.17%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.86 ₱117

33.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$5.43 ₱342

38.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.08 ₱257

95.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$7.30 ₱460

72.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.37 ₱149

17.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.53 ₱96.3

-6.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.43 ₱153

7.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.13 ₱71.4

89.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.02 ₱127

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.94 ₱122

2.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.00 ₱62.7

14.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.57 ₱35.94

110.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.98 ₱188

42.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$7.42 ₱467

35.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$0.95 ₱59.7

62.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.87 ₱118

42.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.26 ₱16.47

103.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$11.29 ₱711

143.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.78 ₱49.09

528.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.21 ₱13.19

1533.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$1.88 ₱119

186.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.22 ₱77.1

18.85%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-0.10%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

20.99%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$124 ₱7,810

-31.18%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$14.94 ₱940

57.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$24.50 ₱1,542

16.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$32.17 ₱2,025

93.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$4.54 ₱286

531.72%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$5.05 ₱318

0.99%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$132 ₱8,279

52.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$7,858 ₱494.7K

-49.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$32.49 ₱2,046

36.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$19.38 ₱1,220

113.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$71.2 ₱4,481

2.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$54.7 ₱3,443

63.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$270 ₱17.0K

262.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$170 ₱10.7K

119.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$522 ₱32.9K

221.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$348 ₱21.9K

214.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$2,427 ₱152.8K

62.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$988 ₱62.2K

520.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$329 ₱20.7K

124.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.79

68.63%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Talisay City: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Talisay City

$170 23.3% 54.5% $203

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Talisay City

$178 24.4% 31.2% $81

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Talisay City

$80 11.1% 59.8% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Talisay City

$163 22.5% 19.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Talisay City

$80 11% 28.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Talisay City

$42 5.8% 41.6% $30

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Talisay City

$14 2% 72.6% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $270 in Talisay City. 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 124% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $17.00 in Talisay City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $178 – making Talisay City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Talisay City

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

21:26 9:26 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

133,148

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Talisay City 15,200 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Talisay 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 Talisay City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,092 in Talisay City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Talisay City, 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $728 in Talisay City. That's a gap of about 65%.

Public transport costs about 144% less in Talisay City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Talisay City, where all-in costs run around $728, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Talisay City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Talisay City – 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 Talisay City. 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.