Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Elizabeth and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Port Elizabeth and in Playa del Carmen: $1,216 and $1,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index
59

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

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Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,216

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Elizabeth 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 Elizabeth and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,216 per month in Port Elizabeth vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Elizabeth $1,216
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,835 per month in Port Elizabeth vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Elizabeth $1,835
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,453 per month in Port Elizabeth vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Elizabeth $2,453
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Port Elizabeth and Playa del Carmen have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Port Elizabeth and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Port Elizabeth 10% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.00 R 181

$10.76 MX$199

2.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.67 R 687

$43.03 MX$795

-3.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.84 R 96.2

$11.79 MX$218

-50.47%

Cappuccino

$2.17 R 35.81

$3.87 MX$71.4

-43.93%

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

$1.03 R 16.91

$1.37 MX$25.29

-24.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R 12.59

$0.84 MX$15.44

-9.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 R 44.37

$3.10 MX$57.3

-13.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 R 53.3

$5.07 MX$93.6

-36.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R 18.39

$1.44 MX$26.55

-22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.20

$2.23 MX$41.23

-53.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.94

$1.47 MX$27.17

2.72%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.35

$2.53 MX$46.71

11.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 R 141

$7.30 MX$135

17.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 R 87.7

$7.86 MX$145

-32.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.36 R 138

$12.79 MX$236

-34.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 R 36.04

$2.90 MX$53.6

-24.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.58

$1.44 MX$26.53

3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.04

$2.55 MX$47.07

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.74

$2.06 MX$38.03

-12.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.41

$2.00 MX$36.97

-17.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.83

$2.01 MX$37.07

-27.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 R 20.72

$1.19 MX$22.02

5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 R 16.39

$1.26 MX$23.23

-21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 R 53.8

$4.40 MX$81.4

-25.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 R 79.4

$9.59 MX$177

-49.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 20.99

$1.59 MX$29.41

-20.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 R 30.00

$2.81 MX$51.9

-35.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 R 18.17

$0.57 MX$10.47

92.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.67 R 604

$27.82 MX$514

31.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 R 33.68

$4.98 MX$92.1

-59.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 R 8.25

$3.50 MX$64.6

-85.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.45 R 139

$5.40 MX$99.8

56.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 R 24.38

$1.47 MX$27.08

0.68%

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

$35.8K R 589.5K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

70.50%

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

$34.1K R 562.5K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

42.81%

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

$125 R 2,058

$84.2 MX$1,556

48.34%

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

$34.90 R 575

$23.99 MX$443

45.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.55 R 734

$29.02 MX$536

53.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.20 R 530

$63.0 MX$1,164

-48.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.27 R 383

$29.14 MX$539

-20.14%

Cinema Ticket

$10.74 R 177

$4.94 MX$91.3

117.41%

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

$177 R 2,924

$204 MX$3,763

-12.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,046 R 99.6K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

53.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 R 1,193

$43.60 MX$806

66.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 R 631

$43.12 MX$797

-11.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,806

$75.8 MX$1,400

44.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 R 1,574

$88.6 MX$1,637

7.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 R 9,859

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-40.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$415 R 6,838

$374 MX$6,911

10.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$808 R 13.3K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-52.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$682 R 11.2K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-38.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$764 R 12.6K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-80.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$522 R 8,604

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-91.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,625 R 26.8K

$754 MX$13.9K

115.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

11.45

4.28%

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

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Elizabeth

$415 34.1%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 9.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Elizabeth

$204 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 32.9% $67

Groceries & Markets

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 31.5% $62

Eating Out

Port Elizabeth

$159 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 27.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 20.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Port Elizabeth

$54 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 35.7% $19

Getting Around

Port Elizabeth

$46 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 15.2% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $598 in Port Elizabeth versus $1,008 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 115% higher in Port Elizabeth. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Port Elizabeth versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $258 – making Port Elizabeth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:23 11:23 AM

04:23 4:23 AM

7 h behind Port Elizabeth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,050,000

149,923

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Port Elizabeth Playa del Carmen 13,320 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,824 per month in Port Elizabeth and $1,816 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 31% cheaper in Port Elizabeth – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

Kindergarten costs $177 per month in Port Elizabeth and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Port Elizabeth at $1,216. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Elizabeth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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