Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tamarin

For one person, living is cheaper in Tamarin: $1,033 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Tamarin
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Tamarin Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Tamarin

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$1,033

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,033 in Tamarin, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Tamarin $1,033

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,648 in Tamarin, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Tamarin $1,648

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,263 in Tamarin, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Tamarin $2,263

Playa del Carmen costs about 17% more than Tamarin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Tamarin are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Tamarin 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$6.00 MUR 280

82.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$32.24 MUR 1,502

34.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.12 MUR 332

65.45%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$2.69 MUR 126

41.64%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.15 MUR 53.4

11.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.64 MUR 29.77

21.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$2.59 MUR 121

22.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$4.81 MUR 224

2.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.49 MUR 69.3

-5.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$0.20 MUR 9.31

1010.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.14 MUR 53.2

24.56%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$2.55 MUR 119

-1.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$3.75 MUR 175

93.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.26 MUR 292

23.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$11.29 MUR 526

12.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$2.11 MUR 98.2

31.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$2.14 MUR 99.6

-35.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$1.40 MUR 65.4

82.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$3.01 MUR 140

-29.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$0.96 MUR 44.71

102.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$1.02 MUR 47.34

85.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$0.70 MUR 32.38

64.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.88 MUR 41.03

34.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$6.18 MUR 288

-30.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$8.69 MUR 405

14.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.69 MUR 78.6

-6.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.94 MUR 90.2

37.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.87 MUR 40.41

-36.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$4.24 MUR 197

17.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$3.24 MUR 151

2.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$6.42 MUR 299

-16.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.37 MUR 63.7

5.11%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$29.8K MUR 1.4M

-30.58%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$30.7K MUR 1.4M

-23.56%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$44.27 MUR 2,062

91.53%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$10.47 MUR 488

123.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$29.63 MUR 1,380

-3.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$41.34 MUR 1,926

38.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$6.46 MUR 301

-20.43%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$125 MUR 5,833

64.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$3,083 MUR 143.6K

27.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$63.5 MUR 2,960

-31.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$53.8 MUR 2,507

-23.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$85.9 MUR 4,002

-13.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$58.9 MUR 2,745

51.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$957 MUR 44.6K

2.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$420 MUR 19.6K

-9.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$1,608 MUR 74.9K

6.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$862 MUR 40.1K

24.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$835 MUR 38.9K

-12.08%

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 Tamarin: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Tamarin

$420 40.7% 10.4% $40

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Tamarin

$200 19.4% 21.5% $55

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Tamarin

$131 12.7% 35% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Tamarin

$84 8.2% 38.3% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Tamarin

$118 11.4% 5.6% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Tamarin

$54 5.3% 19.4% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Tamarin

$24 * 2.3% 52.6% $27

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 $957 in Tamarin. 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 14% higher in Tamarin, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $32 in Tamarin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $200 – making Tamarin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇺 Tamarin

🕒 Local time

17:58 5:58 PM

02:58 2:58 AM

9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

4,371

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MUR = 2.15 USD

100 MUR = 1.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Tamarin 16,320 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Tamarin

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 Tamarin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 17%, 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 $1,549 in Tamarin. 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 $957 in Tamarin. 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 $1,033 in Tamarin. That makes Tamarin about 14% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $125 in Tamarin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,033 in Tamarin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,033 in Tamarin to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.