Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Victoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,017 in Victoria, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Victoria
🇸🇨 Seychelles
$2,017
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,017 in Victoria, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,215
  • Victoria $2,017

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,144 in Victoria, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,144
  • Victoria $3,144

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,271 in Victoria, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,072
  • Victoria $4,271

Playa del Carmen is about 40% cheaper than Victoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Victoria is 51% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Victoria
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.97 MX$201
$17.68 SCR 256
-37.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.85 MX$823
$50.5 SCR 731
-11.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.92 MX$219
$12.40 SCR 180
-3.87%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$69.9
$3.98 SCR 57.7
-4.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.08
$2.33 SCR 33.72
-43.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 MX$15.72
$2.57 SCR 37.20
-66.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.21 MX$59.0
$4.08 SCR 59.1
-21.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.01 MX$92.0
$4.02 SCR 58.2
24.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Victoria
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$26.77
$1.86 SCR 26.93
-21.51%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 MX$42.72
$1.78 SCR 25.75
30.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.48
$2.62 SCR 37.90
-45.04%
Eggs
$2.46 MX$45.20
$3.69 SCR 53.4
-33.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.70 MX$141
$31.07 SCR 450
-75.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.89 MX$145
$6.12 SCR 88.7
28.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.80 MX$235
$12.47 SCR 181
2.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.92 MX$53.6
$2.29 SCR 33.17
27.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.11
$2.75 SCR 39.85
-48.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.57 MX$47.10
$2.40 SCR 34.74
7.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.24
$6.06 SCR 87.7
-64.69%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.75
$1.91 SCR 27.60
2.09%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 MX$35.55
$1.84 SCR 26.57
5.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.13
$1.48 SCR 21.36
-22.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.42
$1.34 SCR 19.34
-8.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 MX$80.3
$24.31 SCR 352
-81.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.85 MX$181
$10.15 SCR 147
-2.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.23
$4.26 SCR 61.7
-63.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 MX$49.86
$5.58 SCR 80.7
-51.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Victoria
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.64
$0.73 SCR 10.56
-28.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.42 MX$503
$32.68 SCR 473
-16.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.91 MX$90.2
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.52 MX$64.7
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.69 MX$104
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 MX$28.27
$1.64 SCR 23.70
-6.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$389.9K
$26.9K SCR 388.9K
-20.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K MX$449.6K
$32.7K SCR 473.3K
-25.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Victoria
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.6 MX$1,535
$138 SCR 1,993
-39.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.03 MX$441
$41.62 SCR 603
-42.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.33 MX$539
$136 SCR 1,972
-78.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Victoria
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.9 MX$1,191
$76.7 SCR 1,111
-15.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.46 MX$541
$7.95 SCR 115
270.57%
Cinema Ticket
$5.09 MX$93.4
$6.96 SCR 101
-26.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Victoria
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 MX$3,813
$141 SCR 2,036
47.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,045 MX$74.3K
$8,597 SCR 124.5K
-52.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Victoria
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.55 MX$818
$36.66 SCR 531
21.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.06 MX$772
$24.11 SCR 349
74.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.5 MX$1,387
$88.0 SCR 1,274
-14.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.4 MX$1,678
$99.1 SCR 1,434
-7.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Victoria
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$986 MX$18.1K
$959 SCR 13.9K
2.82%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$385 MX$7,072
$787 SCR 11.4K
-51.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,713 MX$31.5K
$2,261 SCR 32.7K
-24.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,108 MX$20.4K
$1,756 SCR 25.4K
-36.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,016 MX$73.7K
$442 SCR 6,400
808.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,247 MX$114.7K
$1,145 SCR 16.6K
445.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Victoria
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$758 MX$13.9K
$956 SCR 13.8K
-20.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
12
-4.58%

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 Victoria: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$385
Victoria
$787 104% $402
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$260
Victoria
$375 44% $114
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$204
Victoria
$274 34.6% $71
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Victoria
$315 130% $178
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$114
Victoria
$112 2.2% $2.6
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$75
Victoria
$91 20.8% $16
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Victoria
$36 * 31.6% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $959 in Victoria. 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 26% higher in Victoria, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $50.0 in Victoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $375 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇸🇨 Victoria
🕒 Local time
06:45 6:45 AM
15:45 3:45 PM
9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
26,450 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SCR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Seychellois Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 14.48 SCR (100 SCR = 6.91 USD). 1 EUR = 16.23 SCR (100 SCR = 6.16 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Victoria 15,590 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Victoria

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 Victoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Victoria cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Victoria is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,026 in Victoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Victoria?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $2,017 in Victoria. That's a gap of about 66%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 19% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Victoria?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Victoria at $2,017. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Victoria it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Victoria more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Playa del Carmen or Victoria?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Victoria makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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