Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tuguegarao

For one person, living is cheaper in Tuguegarao: $570 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Tuguegarao
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Tuguegarao Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Tuguegarao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$570

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $570 in Tuguegarao, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Tuguegarao $570

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $909 in Tuguegarao, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Tuguegarao $909

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,249 in Tuguegarao, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Tuguegarao $1,249

Playa del Carmen costs about 111% more than Tuguegarao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Tuguegarao are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Tuguegarao 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$1.58 ₱101

591.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$16.12 ₱1,032

169.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$2.68 ₱171

339.55%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.74 ₱111

118.97%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.42 ₱27.01

204.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.28 ₱17.68

178.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.02 ₱65.2

210.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$1.53 ₱97.7

222.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.64 ₱105

-14.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.15 ₱73.5

93.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$0.68 ₱43.35

108.82%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.98 ₱127

27.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$4.92 ₱315

47.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.26 ₱209

136.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$7.94 ₱508

59.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.20 ₱141

26.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.51 ₱96.5

-9.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$2.25 ₱144

13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.02 ₱65.1

107.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.72 ₱110

12.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.74 ₱111

8.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.61 ₱39.30

88.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.49 ₱31.22

140.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$1.84 ₱118

133.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$8.44 ₱540

17.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$0.96 ₱61.6

64.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.01 ₱129

32.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.24 ₱15.18

129.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$13.38 ₱856

98.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.75 ₱47.91

562.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.24 ₱15.42

1287.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$1.84 ₱118

191.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.08 ₱68.9

33.33%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$21.3K ₱1.4M

-3.13%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

25.15%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$31.51 ₱2,016

169.09%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$16.94 ₱1,084

38.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$22.96 ₱1,469

24.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$31.59 ₱2,021

80.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$5.24 ₱336

451.72%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$4.95 ₱317

3.84%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$132 ₱8,422

56.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$10.7K ₱683.4K

-63.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$28.57 ₱1,828

51.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$19.15 ₱1,225

116.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$39.08 ₱2,501

89.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$23.29 ₱1,491

283.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$246 ₱15.7K

298.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$169 ₱10.8K

125.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$482 ₱30.8K

254.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$349 ₱22.3K

208.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,480 ₱158.7K

58.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,104 ₱70.6K

457.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$201 ₱12.9K

264.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.75

69.63%

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 Tuguegarao: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Tuguegarao

$169 29.6% 55.6% $212

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Tuguegarao

$170 29.8% 33.2% $85

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Tuguegarao

$52 9.2% 74.1% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Tuguegarao

$71 12.5% 47.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Tuguegarao

$50 8.7% 55.7% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Tuguegarao

$41 7.3% 38.4% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Tuguegarao

$16 2.9% 67.7% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $246 in Tuguegarao. 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 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $16 in Tuguegarao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $170 – making Tuguegarao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Tuguegarao

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

08:15 8:15 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

166,334

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.24 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Tuguegarao 14,730 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Tuguegarao

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 Tuguegarao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 111%, 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 $856 in Tuguegarao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tuguegarao, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $246 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $570 in Tuguegarao. That makes Tuguegarao about 53% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Tuguegarao. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Tuguegarao, where all-in costs run around $570, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Tuguegarao it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tuguegarao – 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 Tuguegarao. 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.