Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Harcourt and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Harcourt: $392 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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

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Port Harcourt

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$392

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $392 per month in Port Harcourt vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Harcourt $392
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $815 per month in Port Harcourt vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Harcourt $815
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,238 per month in Port Harcourt vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Harcourt $1,238
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Port Harcourt is about 67% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Port Harcourt and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Port Harcourt 71% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 ₦2,735

$10.92 MX$204

-81.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.33 ₦40.6K

$43.37 MX$808

-30.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.82 ₦6,461

$11.78 MX$220

-59.08%

Cappuccino

$1.61 ₦2,162

$3.81 MX$71.0

-57.74%

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

$0.60 ₦805

$1.28 MX$23.90

-53.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₦876

$0.78 MX$14.59

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.44 ₦1,932

$3.17 MX$59.0

-54.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 ₦4,055

$4.93 MX$92.0

-38.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.60 ₦3,484

$1.41 MX$26.22

84.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 ₦1,215

$2.22 MX$41.33

-59.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 ₦4,369

$1.42 MX$26.42

129.58%

Eggs

$1.76 ₦2,361

$2.52 MX$47.03

-30.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.88 ₦2,516

$7.70 MX$143

-75.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 ₦3,297

$2.78 MX$51.9

-11.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 ₦2,987

$1.37 MX$25.50

62.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 ₦2,454

$2.55 MX$47.55

-28.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 ₦4,095

$2.12 MX$39.58

44.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 ₦2,973

$1.94 MX$36.13

14.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 ₦2,049

$1.89 MX$35.16

-19.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₦832

$1.18 MX$21.98

-47.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

Wine (Bottle)

$5.28 ₦7,082

$9.95 MX$185

-46.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₦968

$1.58 MX$29.52

-54.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ₦1,960

$2.67 MX$49.79

-45.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.36 ₦476

$4.97 MX$92.6

-92.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 ₦780

$1.44 MX$26.92

-59.72%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

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

$30.24 ₦40.5K

$84.8 MX$1,581

-64.34%

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

$3.82 ₦5,121

$23.41 MX$436

-83.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.22 ₦19.1K

$57.1 MX$1,063

-75.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.07 ₦5,448

$5.14 MX$95.8

-20.82%

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

$24.79 ₦33.2K

$207 MX$3,851

-88.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$788 ₦1.1M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

-79.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$6.85 ₦9,179

$43.35 MX$808

-84.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.43 ₦15.3K

$41.44 MX$772

-72.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$15.09 ₦20.2K

$89.3 MX$1,664

-83.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$151 ₦202.6K

$980 MX$18.3K

-84.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$104 ₦140.0K

$381 MX$7,099

-72.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 ₦1.5M

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-33.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 ₦668.4K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-53.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$55.8 ₦74.8K

$735 MX$13.7K

-92.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Port Harcourt: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Harcourt

–

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Groceries & Markets

Port Harcourt

–

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Eating Out

Port Harcourt

–

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Harcourt

–

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Port Harcourt

–

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Port Harcourt

–

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Getting Around

Port Harcourt

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $151 in Port Harcourt versus $980 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 in Playa del Carmen are about 13 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Port Harcourt versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $255 – making Port Harcourt the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Port Harcourt

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

21:53 9:53 PM

6 h behind Port Harcourt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,382,592

149,923

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.7 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇬 Nigerian Naira (₦)

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.7 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to NGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Harcourt Playa del Carmen 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 207%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $588 per month in Port Harcourt 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 Harcourt, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $151 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $392 in Port Harcourt and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Port Harcourt about 67% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $25 per month in Port Harcourt and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Port Harcourt, where all-in costs run around $392, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Port Harcourt 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 Harcourt – 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 Port Harcourt. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.