Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Westonaria

For one person, living is cheaper in Westonaria: $1,035 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Westonaria
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Westonaria Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Westonaria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,035 in Westonaria, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Westonaria $1,035

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,611 in Westonaria, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Westonaria $1,611

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,187 in Westonaria, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Westonaria $2,187

Playa del Carmen costs about 16% more than Westonaria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Westonaria are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Westonaria 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$9.27 R 152

15.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$35.66 R 585

22.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$5.22 R 85.7

125.86%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.66 R 27.22

128.31%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.06 R 17.41

22.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.83 R 13.66

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.85 R 30.40

70.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.68 R 44.03

83.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.14 R 18.63

23.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.14 R 18.65

92.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.74 R 28.50

-15.52%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.42 R 39.70

3.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.30 R 136

-12.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.89 R 80.3

62.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.52 R 123

71.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.87 R 30.68

55.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.61 R 26.42

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.79 R 29.44

39.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.63 R 26.74

24.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.08 R 17.77

87.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.18 R 19.31

61.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.19 R 19.49

-4.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.33 R 21.75

-6.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$3.30 R 54.1

29.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$5.16 R 84.6

90.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.57 R 25.83

1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.88 R 30.92

46.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.48 R 24.29

-65.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.31 R 5.12

1435.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.79 R 13.02

311.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$14.58 R 239

-63.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.56 R 25.63

-1.92%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$35.5K R 582.7K

-40.27%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$34.4K R 564.9K

-32.44%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$153 R 2,517

-45.57%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$36.82 R 604

-37.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$37.32 R 612

-26.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$28.23 R 463

99.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$13.03 R 214

116.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.44 R 122

-32.80%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$261 R 4,281

-20.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$6,101 R 100.1K

-14.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$53.7 R 882

-19.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$31.88 R 523

33.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$93.6 R 1,536

-22.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$82.9 R 1,360

6.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$382 R 6,270

160.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$310 R 5,090

23.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$660 R 10.8K

153.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$645 R 10.6K

67.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$837 R 13.7K

367.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$653 R 10.7K

839.89%

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 Westonaria: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Westonaria

$310 30% 18.9% $72

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Westonaria

$194 18.7% 24.7% $64

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Westonaria

$132 12.8% 34.1% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Westonaria

$228 22% 69.5% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Westonaria

$118 11.4% 6.1% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Westonaria

$43 4.2% 35.1% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Westonaria

$10 * 1% 79.8% $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 $382 in Westonaria. 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 $36 in Westonaria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $194 – making Westonaria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Westonaria

🕒 Local time

02:27 2:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

156,831

💱 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 Westonaria 13,400 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Westonaria

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 Westonaria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 16%, 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 $1,552 in Westonaria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Westonaria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $382 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,035 in Westonaria. That makes Westonaria about 14% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $261 in Westonaria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,035 in Westonaria, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,035 in Westonaria to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.