Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tema

For one person, living is cheaper in Tema: $746 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
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Tema Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $746 in Tema, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Tema $746

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,186 in Tema, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Tema $1,186

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,627 in Tema, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Tema $1,627

Playa del Carmen costs about 61% more than Tema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Tema are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Tema 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$7.04 GHS 81.6

55.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$27.68 GHS 321

56.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$5.09 GHS 59.0

-25.15%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.85 GHS 9.79

50.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.30 GHS 3.48

160.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.31 GHS 38.31

-4.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.56 GHS 29.59

92.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$3.25 GHS 37.67

-56.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.54 GHS 17.83

44.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.98 GHS 22.93

-28.28%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.37 GHS 27.44

6.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$4.27 GHS 49.40

70.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.18 GHS 36.79

142.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$3.43 GHS 39.70

269.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.63 GHS 30.42

5.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$2.11 GHS 24.42

-35.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$2.20 GHS 25.43

15.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$3.48 GHS 40.33

-39.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$3.34 GHS 38.69

-41.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.75 GHS 31.86

-31.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.44 GHS 5.14

161.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.66 GHS 7.60

78.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$1.32 GHS 15.26

225.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$8.67 GHS 100

14.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$2.16 GHS 25.07

-26.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$3.04 GHS 35.22

-12.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.69 GHS 19.58

-67.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$41.27 GHS 478

-35.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.11 GHS 24.45

135.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.41 GHS 4.80

712.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.14 GHS 13.22

26.32%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$76.6 GHS 887

10.76%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$14.89 GHS 172

57.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$83.0 GHS 961

-65.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$23.21 GHS 269

145.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$8.76 GHS 101

-41.32%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$174 GHS 2,012

18.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$2,582 GHS 29.9K

52.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$12.97 GHS 150

234.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$15.23 GHS 176

172.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$43.68 GHS 506

69.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$32.85 GHS 380

171.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$127 GHS 1,469

672.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$72.0 GHS 833

429.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$436 GHS 5,048

291.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$217 GHS 2,511

395.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$9,800 GHS 113.5K

-59.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$5,945 GHS 68.8K

3.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$419 GHS 4,854

75.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-67.29%

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 Tema: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Tema

$72 9.7% 81.1% $309

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Tema

$216 28.9% 15.3% $39

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Tema

$144 * 19.3% 29% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Tema

$174 23.4% 27.5% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Tema

$47 6.3% 57.8% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Tema

$41 5.5% 39.5% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Tema

$52 7% 3.5% $1.8

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 $127 in Tema. 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 75% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $28 in Tema. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $216 – making Tema the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇭 Tema

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

22:09 10:09 PM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

160,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 GHS = 8.64 USD

100 GHS = 7.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 11.58 GHS (100 GHS = 8.64 USD). 1 EUR = 12.89 GHS (100 GHS = 7.76 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Tema 9,480 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Tema

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 Tema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,119 in Tema. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tema, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $127 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $746 in Tema. That makes Tema about 38% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 35% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Tema – 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 Tema. 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.