Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Welkom

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,051 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
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Welkom Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,051 in Welkom, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Welkom $1,051

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,581 in Welkom, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Welkom $1,581

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,112 in Welkom, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Welkom $2,112

Playa del Carmen costs about 14% more than Welkom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Welkom are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Welkom 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$8.84 R 145

20.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$20.76 R 341

110.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$5.23 R 85.9

125.43%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.29 R 37.59

65.50%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.50 R 8.21

160.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.62 R 10.22

33.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.22 R 19.99

158.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.46 R 23.97

237.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.00 R 16.45

41.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.01 R 16.57

117.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.40 R 23.04

5.00%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.79 R 29.30

39.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$6.48 R 106

12.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.44 R 72.8

79.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$4.68 R 76.8

174.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.54 R 25.32

88.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.59 R 26.15

-13.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.77 R 29.11

40.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.23 R 20.18

65.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.12 R 18.45

80.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.22 R 19.97

55.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.87 R 14.26

31.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.29 R 21.10

-3.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.37 R 38.82

80.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$2.46 R 40.42

298.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.54 R 25.19

3.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.76 R 28.88

56.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.79 R 29.36

-71.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.31 R 5.17

1435.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.82 R 13.40

296.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$14.74 R 242

-63.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.58 R 25.89

-3.16%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$35.3K R 579.6K

-39.95%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$34.0K R 558.2K

-31.62%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$153 R 2,515

-45.53%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$36.34 R 596

-36.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$36.25 R 595

-23.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$31.57 R 518

78.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$11.70 R 192

140.94%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.37 R 121

-32.16%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$256 R 4,205

-19.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$6,077 R 99.7K

-13.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$52.5 R 861

-17.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$31.62 R 519

34.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$92.4 R 1,516

-21.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$82.7 R 1,357

6.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$392 R 6,429

153.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$364 R 5,965

5.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$726 R 11.9K

130.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$726 R 11.9K

48.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$715 R 11.7K

446.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$621 R 10.2K

888.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.34

0.97%

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 Welkom: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Welkom

$364 34.6% 4.9% $19

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Welkom

$160 15.2% 37.9% $98

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Welkom

$127 12.1% 36.4% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Welkom

$226 21.5% 68.2% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Welkom

$117 11.1% 4.9% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Welkom

$46 4.4% 30.3% $20

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Welkom

$12 * 1.1% 77.1% $39

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 $392 in Welkom. 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 $21 in Welkom. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $160 – making Welkom the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Welkom

🕒 Local time

02:26 2:26 AM

09:26 9:26 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

64,130

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.44 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Welkom 13,340 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Welkom

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 Welkom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 14%, 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 $1,577 in Welkom. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Welkom, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,051 in Welkom. That makes Welkom about 13% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $256 in Welkom. 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 $1,051 in Welkom. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,051 in Welkom to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.