Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tonga
For one person, living is cheaper in Tonga: $1,087 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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Playa del Carmen Living Index60Cost of Living Index in Playa del CarmenLearn more -
Tonga Living Index52Cost of Living Index in TongaLearn more
😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 3.4% more expensive than Tonga without rent, and 11.7% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 4.1% cheaper than Tonga without rent, and 13.8% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Tonga
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.97 MX$201
$8.54 TOP 20.47
28.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.85 MX$823
$63.5 TOP 152
-29.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.92 MX$219
$10.42 TOP 24.98
14.40%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$69.9
$2.95 TOP 7.07
28.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.08
$2.82 TOP 6.75
-53.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 MX$15.72
$2.42 TOP 5.80
-64.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.21 MX$59.0
$3.24 TOP 7.76
-0.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.01 MX$92.0
$4.94 TOP 11.84
1.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Tonga
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$26.77
$1.52 TOP 3.64
-3.95%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 MX$42.72
$1.02 TOP 2.44
128.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.48
$2.12 TOP 5.08
-32.08%
Eggs
$2.46 MX$45.20
$5.01 TOP 12.00
-50.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.70 MX$141
$8.97 TOP 21.49
-14.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.89 MX$145
$5.73 TOP 13.73
37.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.80 MX$235
$7.60 TOP 18.22
68.42%
Apples (1kg)
$2.92 MX$53.6
$2.71 TOP 6.49
7.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.11
$2.76 TOP 6.61
-48.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.57 MX$47.10
$2.85 TOP 6.83
-9.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.24
$3.81 TOP 9.14
-43.83%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.75
$3.12 TOP 7.48
-37.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 MX$35.55
$2.65 TOP 6.35
-26.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.13
$2.18 TOP 5.24
-47.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.42
$1.37 TOP 3.27
-10.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 MX$80.3
$10.09 TOP 24.19
-56.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.85 MX$181
$17.24 TOP 41.33
-42.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.23
$3.24 TOP 7.77
-52.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 MX$49.86
$3.38 TOP 8.09
-19.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Tonga
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.64
$2.05 TOP 4.92
-74.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.42 MX$503
$41.49 TOP 99.4
-33.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.91 MX$90.2
$2.10 TOP 5.04
133.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.52 MX$64.7
$2.07 TOP 4.96
70.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.69 MX$104
$41.58 TOP 99.7
-86.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 MX$28.27
$1.47 TOP 3.51
4.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$389.9K
$5,703 TOP 13.7K
272.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K MX$449.6K
$8,292 TOP 19.9K
195.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Tonga
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.6 MX$1,535
$188 TOP 451
-55.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.03 MX$441
$21.78 TOP 52.2
10.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.33 MX$539
$126 TOP 303
-76.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Tonga
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.9 MX$1,191
$30.90 TOP 74.1
109.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.46 MX$541
$41.51 TOP 99.5
-29.03%
Cinema Ticket
$5.09 MX$93.4
$41.13 TOP 98.6
-87.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Tonga
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 MX$3,813
$161 TOP 385
29.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,045 MX$74.3K
$247 TOP 593
1536.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Tonga
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.55 MX$818
$14.46 TOP 34.65
208.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.06 MX$772
$17.82 TOP 42.71
136.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.5 MX$1,387
$20.91 TOP 50.1
261.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.4 MX$1,678
$29.00 TOP 69.5
215.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Tonga
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$986 MX$18.1K
$630 TOP 1,511
56.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$385 MX$7,072
$50.8 TOP 122
657.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,713 MX$31.5K
$842 TOP 2,018
103.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,108 MX$20.4K
$568 TOP 1,362
95.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,016 MX$73.7K
$421 TOP 1,009
854.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,247 MX$114.7K
$251 TOP 602
2386.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Tonga
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$758 MX$13.9K
$678 TOP 1,625
11.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
0
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CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026
Last update for Tonga: October 3, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen $385 31.4%
Tonga $51 4.7% 86.8% $334
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen $260 21.2%
Tonga $290 27.1% 11.4% $30
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen $204 16.6%
Tonga $182 17% 10.7% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen $137 11.2%
Tonga $336 31.4% 146% $199
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen $114 9.3%
Tonga $37 3.5% 67.6% $77
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen $75 6.1%
Tonga $113 10.6% 50.8% $38
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen $52 4.2%
Tonga $62 5.8% 19.4% $10
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen $1.1K 36.5%
Tonga $568 20.8% 48.7% $540
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen $602 19.8%
Tonga $652 23.9% 8.2% $49
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen $631 20.8%
Tonga $671 24.6% 6.3% $40
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen $161 5.3%
Tonga $358 13.1% 122% $197
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen $254 8.3%
Tonga $82 3% 67.6% $171
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen $180 5.9%
Tonga $268 9.8% 49.2% $88
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen $105 3.5%
Tonga $128 4.7% 22.1% $23
Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇹🇴 Tonga
Weather
Population
149,923
108,020
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Playa del Carmen Tonga 10,640 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
- Playa del Carmen
- Tonga
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 other spots: cost of living compared
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,561
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,351
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Krakow
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,811
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,203
/mo nomad
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