Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Uitenhage

For one person, living is cheaper in Uitenhage: $1,143 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $710 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Uitenhage
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Uitenhage Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Uitenhage

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,143 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Uitenhage $1,143

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,824 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Uitenhage $1,824

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,505 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Uitenhage $2,505

Playa del Carmen costs about 5% more than Uitenhage, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Uitenhage are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Uitenhage 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$10.77 R 177

-0.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$42.65 R 702

2.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$5.76 R 94.8

104.69%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.09 R 34.40

81.34%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.05 R 17.20

23.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.78 R 12.77

6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.67 R 43.85

17.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.14 R 51.6

57.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.13 R 18.58

24.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.87 R 14.25

152.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.45 R 23.88

1.38%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$2.80 R 46.12

-10.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.70 R 143

-16.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$5.51 R 90.6

44.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$8.71 R 143

47.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.13 R 35.00

36.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.52 R 25.03

-9.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$1.70 R 27.92

46.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$1.81 R 29.82

12.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$1.71 R 28.18

18.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.37 R 22.57

38.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.29 R 21.24

-11.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.98 R 16.17

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$3.09 R 50.9

38.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$3.71 R 61.1

164.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.21 R 19.85

31.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.80 R 29.62

52.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.88 R 30.89

-72.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.83 R 13.71

473.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.50 R 8.18

550.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$8.40 R 138

-35.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.55 R 25.54

-1.29%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$34.7K R 571.4K

-38.92%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$35.1K R 576.7K

-33.64%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$123 R 2,021

-32.04%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$34.24 R 563

-32.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$45.02 R 741

-38.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$36.88 R 607

53.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$11.81 R 194

138.70%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$10.65 R 175

-53.05%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$178 R 2,927

16.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$6,095 R 100.3K

-14.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$71.4 R 1,174

-39.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$39.47 R 649

7.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$112 R 1,840

-34.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$97.4 R 1,602

-9.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$446 R 7,334

123.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$378 R 6,217

1.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$826 R 13.6K

102.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$808 R 13.3K

33.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$651 R 10.7K

500.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$671 R 11.0K

814.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.94

-4.10%

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 Uitenhage: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Uitenhage

$378 33.1% 1.2% $4.5

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Uitenhage

$194 17% 24.5% $63

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Uitenhage

$155 13.6% 22.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Uitenhage

$202 17.7% 50.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Uitenhage

$144 12.6% 29.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Uitenhage

$58 5.1% 12.4% $8.3

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Uitenhage

$11 * 1% 78.5% $40

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 $446 in Uitenhage. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $43 in Uitenhage. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $194 – making Uitenhage the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Uitenhage

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

00:42 12:42 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

103,639

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Uitenhage 13,290 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Uitenhage

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 Uitenhage: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 5%, 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 $1,714 in Uitenhage. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Uitenhage, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $446 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $178 in Uitenhage. 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,143 in Uitenhage. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Uitenhage – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.