Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Blair and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Blair: $361 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Port Blair
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Port Blair Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Port Blair

🇮🇳 India

$361

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Blair and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Port Blair and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $361 per month in Port Blair vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Blair $361
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $575 per month in Port Blair vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Blair $575
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $790 per month in Port Blair vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Blair $790
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Port Blair is about 70% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Port Blair and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Port Blair 73% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 ₹194

$10.86 MX$201

-81.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.50 ₹998

$44.21 MX$817

-76.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.62 ₹343

$11.76 MX$217

-69.22%

Cappuccino

$1.59 ₹151

$3.68 MX$68.0

-56.79%

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

$0.39 ₹37.45

$1.34 MX$24.79

-70.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ₹11.93

$0.82 MX$15.24

-84.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₹169

$3.06 MX$56.6

-41.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ₹282

$4.94 MX$91.2

-39.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.67 ₹63.5

$1.47 MX$27.17

-54.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 ₹41.58

$2.22 MX$40.95

-80.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₹62.3

$1.48 MX$27.32

-55.41%

Eggs

$0.89 ₹84.9

$2.49 MX$45.99

-64.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.40 ₹418

$7.52 MX$139

-41.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.80 ₹266

$7.96 MX$147

-64.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 ₹175

$2.78 MX$51.3

-33.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.0

$1.43 MX$26.37

-55.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.88 ₹83.1

$2.62 MX$48.37

-66.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.44 ₹42.01

$2.14 MX$39.49

-79.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹32.63

$2.02 MX$37.38

-83.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹34.71

$1.99 MX$36.74

-81.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹40.72

$1.14 MX$21.01

-62.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹27.50

$1.20 MX$22.18

-75.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.88 ₹463

$4.26 MX$78.7

14.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 ₹699

$10.02 MX$185

-26.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₹152

$1.54 MX$28.41

3.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₹253

$2.66 MX$49.17

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.95 ₹470

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₹23.51

$0.53 MX$9.73

-52.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.59 ₹721

$27.51 MX$508

-72.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 ₹81.4

$4.90 MX$90.6

-82.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.85

$3.43 MX$63.5

-92.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ₹153

$5.38 MX$99.4

-70.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.45 MX$26.76

-26.21%

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

$12.4K ₹1.2M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

-41.46%

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

$19.5K ₹1.9M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-15.22%

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

$34.47 ₹3,274

$85.4 MX$1,577

-59.62%

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

$3.35 ₹318

$23.46 MX$434

-85.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.62 ₹628

$28.43 MX$525

-76.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.02 ₹1,332

$62.2 MX$1,149

-77.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.34 ₹602

$28.68 MX$530

-77.89%

Cinema Ticket

$3.88 ₹368

$5.10 MX$94.3

-23.92%

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

$47.72 ₹4,532

$201 MX$3,715

-76.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,410 ₹133.9K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

-64.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.61 ₹2,052

$44.39 MX$820

-51.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.66 ₹2,246

$41.35 MX$764

-42.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.80 ₹3,684

$72.7 MX$1,344

-46.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.72 ₹2,633

$89.6 MX$1,656

-69.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$87.9 ₹8,350

$979 MX$18.1K

-91.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$72.2 ₹6,854

$373 MX$6,887

-80.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$261 ₹24.8K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-84.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₹16.4K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-84.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$970 ₹92.1K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-75.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$520 ₹49.4K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-91.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$637 ₹60.4K

$738 MX$13.6K

-13.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.86

11.45

-22.62%

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

Last update for Port Blair: October 20, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Port Blair

$98 27.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 163% $160

Accommodation & Living

Port Blair

$72 20%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 416% $301

Eating Out

Port Blair

$63 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 217% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Port Blair

$50 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 122% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Blair

$44 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 209% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Port Blair

$22 6%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 232% $51

Getting Around

Port Blair

$11 3%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 379% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $87.9 in Port Blair versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. 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 16% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $11.00 in Port Blair versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $98.0 vs $258 – making Port Blair the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Port Blair

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:06 6:06 PM

07:36 7:36 AM

10 h 30 min behind Port Blair

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,500

149,923

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Port Blair Playa del Carmen 16,420 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Blair
Playa del Carmen

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

Port Blair vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 234%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $541 per month in Port Blair and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Blair, 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 $361 in Port Blair and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 234%.

Public transport costs about 262% less in Port Blair. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Port Blair, where all-in costs run around $361, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Port Blair it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Port Blair – 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 Port Blair. 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.