Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tongi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tongi: $328 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Tongi
Learn more

Tongi Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Tongi

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $328 in Tongi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Tongi $328

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $534 in Tongi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Tongi $534

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $741 in Tongi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Tongi $741

Playa del Carmen costs about 267% more than Tongi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Tongi are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Tongi 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$2.02 ৳251

428.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$813

$9.27 ৳1,150

372.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$4.64 ৳576

154.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 ৳373

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 ৳522

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.3

$1.75 ৳217

116.57%

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

$1.30 MX$24.09

$0.35 ৳42.85

271.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.48

$0.15 ৳18.67

453.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.16

$0.71 ৳87.9

98.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.77

$0.49 ৳60.3

348.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.35

$0.63 ৳78.1

133.33%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.37

$1.15 ৳143

117.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$135

$7.47 ৳926

-2.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$2.43 ৳301

227.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$6.53 ৳809

96.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.8

$2.40 ৳298

20.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.69

$0.95 ৳118

45.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.26

$1.96 ৳243

27.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.70

$0.58 ৳72.4

250.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.61

$0.26 ৳31.94

676.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.35

$0.53 ৳66.2

258.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.25

$0.41 ৳50.5

178.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.01

$0.23 ৳28.52

439.13%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.73 ৳959

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ৳307

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 ৳582

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

$3.01 ৳374

41.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$182

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.45

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

$0.37 ৳45.64

37.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

$0.79 ৳98.0

502.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

$0.38 ৳47.48

755.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$2.75 ৳341

96.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.38

$1.23 ৳152

24.39%

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

$21.2K MX$393.9K

$29.2K ৳3.6M

-27.30%

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

$23.3K MX$432.0K

$26.9K ৳3.3M

-13.59%

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

$83.5 MX$1,550

$29.56 ৳3,666

182.44%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$4.20 ৳521

452.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$513

$7.97 ৳988

246.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,048

$13.22 ৳1,640

326.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$524

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.9

$3.60 ৳447

38.89%

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

$207 MX$3,846

$25.01 ৳3,102

727.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.1K

$1,527 ৳189.3K

242.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$807

$22.05 ৳2,735

97.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$790

$23.42 ৳2,904

81.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,351

$31.59 ৳3,918

130.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,641

$33.81 ৳4,193

161.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$86.6 ৳10.7K

1049.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,102

$50.6 ৳6,270

656.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

$168 ৳20.9K

894.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$116 ৳14.4K

829.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.6K

$756 ৳93.7K

417.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$98.7 ৳12.2K

743.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.79

6.12%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tongi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Tongi

$51 15.4% 86.8% $332

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Tongi

$108 32.9% 58.1% $150

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Tongi

$53 16.2% 73.5% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Tongi

$42 12.7% 68.9% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Tongi

$50 15.2% 55.1% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Tongi

$20 6.2% 69.3% $46

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Tongi

$4.2 * 1.3% 91.7% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $87 in Tongi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 8.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $9 in Tongi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $108 – making Tongi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇩 Tongi

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

22:42 10:42 PM

11 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

406,420

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Tongi 15,060 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Tongi

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 Tongi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 267%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $492 in Tongi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tongi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $87 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $328 in Tongi. That makes Tongi about 73% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $25 in Tongi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Tongi, where all-in costs run around $328, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Tongi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tongi – 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 Tongi. 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.