Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Vigan

For one person, living is cheaper in Vigan: $720 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Vigan
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Vigan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Vigan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $720 in Vigan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Vigan $720

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,087 in Vigan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Vigan $1,087

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,455 in Vigan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Vigan $1,455

Playa del Carmen costs about 67% more than Vigan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Vigan are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Vigan 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$3.88 ₱247

175.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$16.73 ₱1,062

161.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$1.74 ₱111

577.59%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$1.76 ₱112

115.34%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$0.58 ₱37.08

124.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.31 ₱19.43

167.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$1.00 ₱63.7

215.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$1.58 ₱100

212.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.57 ₱99.9

-10.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.14 ₱72.3

92.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.00 ₱63.6

47.00%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$1.99 ₱126

25.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$4.84 ₱308

50.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$3.29 ₱209

141.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$7.53 ₱478

70.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.24 ₱142

29.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.58 ₱100

-12.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$2.35 ₱149

5.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.01 ₱64.3

100.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.70 ₱108

18.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.70 ₱108

11.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.87 ₱55.0

31.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.52 ₱32.92

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$2.93 ₱186

45.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$8.50 ₱539

15.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$0.94 ₱59.5

69.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.04 ₱130

34.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.24 ₱15.31

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$12.42 ₱788

120.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$0.80 ₱50.5

495.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.20 ₱12.72

1525.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$1.84 ₱117

192.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.24 ₱78.9

23.39%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

2.71%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$18.6K ₱1.2M

25.23%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$137 ₱8,685

-38.96%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$17.37 ₱1,103

33.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$23.09 ₱1,466

19.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$31.16 ₱1,978

81.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$5.31 ₱337

430.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$5.20 ₱330

-3.85%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$132 ₱8,359

57.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$10.5K ₱669.0K

-50.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$28.61 ₱1,816

51.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$19.14 ₱1,215

122.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$70.6 ₱4,484

3.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$54.1 ₱3,433

63.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$251 ₱16.0K

295.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$167 ₱10.6K

128.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$490 ₱31.1K

241.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$345 ₱21.9K

213.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$2,582 ₱163.9K

51.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,091 ₱69.3K

462.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Vigan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Vigan

$167 23.3% 56.2% $215

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Vigan

$172 23.9% 33.3% $86

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Vigan

$69 9.6% 65.5% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Vigan

$177 24.6% 32% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Vigan

$78 10.8% 30.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Vigan

$42 5.8% 37.4% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Vigan

$15 2.1% 69.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $251 in Vigan. 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 $17 in Vigan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $172 – making Vigan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Vigan

🕒 Local time

01:30 1:30 AM

14:30 2:30 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

53,879

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.49 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Vigan 14,820 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Vigan

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 Vigan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,080 in Vigan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vigan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $251 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $720 in Vigan. That makes Vigan about 40% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 55% less in Vigan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Vigan, where all-in costs run around $720, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Vigan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Vigan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 40% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.