Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Wote

For one person, living is cheaper in Wote: $600 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Wote
Learn more

Wote Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Wote

🇰🇪 Kenya

$600

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $600 in Wote, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Wote $600

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,065 in Wote, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Wote $1,065

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,529 in Wote, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Wote $1,529

Playa del Carmen costs about 101% more than Wote, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Wote are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Wote 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$3.07 KES 398

253.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$34.54 KES 4,479

28.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$6.21 KES 805

89.37%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.56 KES 203

135.90%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.37 KES 48.48

262.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.24 KES 31.28

241.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.14 KES 278

42.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.28 KES 295

116.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.75 KES 97.7

96.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.52 KES 67.7

326.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.45 KES 188

2.07%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.35 KES 175

84.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$4.68 KES 607

60.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$6.01 KES 779

32.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$5.68 KES 736

121.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.35 KES 434

-17.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.05 KES 136

36.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.06 KES 267

27.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.60 KES 77.5

256.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.56 KES 72.6

260.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.09 KES 141

82.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.68 KES 88.2

67.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.53 KES 68.2

126.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.49 KES 452

22.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$11.54 KES 1,496

-13.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.19 KES 284

-29.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.77 KES 359

-3.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.58 KES 205

210.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.51 KES 196

127.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$2.85 KES 369

88.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.62 KES 210

-10.49%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.4K KES 2.8M

-0.98%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$20.1K KES 2.6M

14.27%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$55.8 KES 7,233

53.00%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$15.10 KES 1,957

55.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$35.30 KES 4,577

-19.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$7.90 KES 1,025

-35.44%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$157 KES 20.3K

28.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$12.5K KES 1.6M

-68.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$11.77 KES 1,526

277.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$7.74 KES 1,004

434.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$19.54 KES 2,534

272.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$23.03 KES 2,986

289.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$386 KES 50.1K

153.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$189 KES 24.5K

96.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$775 KES 100.4K

116.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$588 KES 76.2K

86.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

14.71

-22.16%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Wote: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Wote

$189 31.6% 49.2% $183

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Wote

$172 28.6% 33.5% $87

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Wote

$80 13.3% 60.2% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Wote

$106 17.7% 22.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Wote

$28 4.7% 75% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Wote

$16 * 2.6% 78.2% $57

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Wote

$9.2 * 1.5% 82.3% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $386 in Wote. 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $35.00 in Wote. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $172 – making Wote the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇪 Wote

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

05:30 5:30 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

19,725

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Wote 13,670 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Wote

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 Wote: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 101%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $900 in Wote. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wote, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $600 in Wote. That's a gap of about 101%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $157 in Wote. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Wote, where all-in costs run around $600, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Wote it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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.

If budget matters most, go with Wote. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.