Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port of Spain and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,632 in Port of Spain, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Port of Spain
Learn more

Port of Spain Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Port of Spain

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,632

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,632 per month in Port of Spain vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port of Spain $1,632
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,763 per month in Port of Spain vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port of Spain $2,763
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,894 per month in Port of Spain vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port of Spain $3,894
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Port of Spain costs about 35% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Port of Spain sits 21% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.39 TTD 69.9

$10.76 MX$199

-3.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 TTD 592

$43.03 MX$795

104.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.08 TTD 61.1

$11.79 MX$218

-22.99%

Cappuccino

$3.79 TTD 25.51

$3.87 MX$71.4

-2.07%

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

$0.99 TTD 6.67

$1.37 MX$25.29

-27.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 TTD 5.15

$0.84 MX$15.44

-8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 TTD 14.38

$3.10 MX$57.3

-30.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 TTD 24.29

$5.07 MX$93.6

-28.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.47 TTD 16.62

$1.44 MX$26.55

71.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 TTD 16.53

$2.23 MX$41.23

10.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.81 TTD 18.92

$1.47 MX$27.17

91.16%

Eggs

$4.46 TTD 30.03

$2.53 MX$46.71

76.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.59 TTD 44.36

$7.30 MX$135

-9.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 TTD 66.5

$7.86 MX$145

25.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.36 TTD 76.4

$12.79 MX$236

-11.18%

Apples (1kg)

$5.54 TTD 37.28

$2.90 MX$53.6

91.03%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 TTD 20.95

$1.44 MX$26.53

115.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 TTD 24.86

$2.55 MX$47.07

45.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 TTD 29.46

$2.06 MX$38.03

112.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 TTD 14.54

$2.00 MX$36.97

8.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 TTD 12.56

$2.01 MX$37.07

-6.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 TTD 12.77

$1.19 MX$22.02

59.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 TTD 9.05

$1.26 MX$23.23

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 TTD 39.69

$4.40 MX$81.4

34.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.26 TTD 130

$9.59 MX$177

100.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 TTD 14.85

$1.59 MX$29.41

38.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 TTD 19.77

$2.81 MX$51.9

4.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 TTD 9.10

$0.57 MX$10.47

136.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$135 TTD 908

$27.82 MX$514

384.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 TTD 7.10

$4.98 MX$92.1

-78.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 TTD 8.49

$3.50 MX$64.6

-64.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.48 TTD 97.4

$5.40 MX$99.8

168.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 TTD 7.84

$1.47 MX$27.08

-21.09%

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

$36.7K TTD 246.7K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

74.79%

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

$41.2K TTD 276.9K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

72.18%

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

$90.6 TTD 609

$84.2 MX$1,556

7.55%

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

$51.6 TTD 347

$23.99 MX$443

115.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.8 TTD 382

$29.02 MX$536

95.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 TTD 386

$63.0 MX$1,164

-8.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.93 TTD 87.0

$29.14 MX$539

-55.63%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 TTD 58.4

$4.94 MX$91.3

75.91%

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

$394 TTD 2,649

$204 MX$3,763

93.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K TTD 73.3K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

176.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 TTD 366

$43.60 MX$806

24.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.7 TTD 347

$43.12 MX$797

19.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 TTD 987

$75.8 MX$1,400

93.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 TTD 703

$88.6 MX$1,637

17.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 TTD 6,750

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-0.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 TTD 3,465

$374 MX$6,911

37.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 TTD 14.7K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

27.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 TTD 8,138

$1,106 MX$20.4K

9.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,493 TTD 30.2K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

13.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,984 TTD 13.3K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-67.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 TTD 5,090

$754 MX$13.9K

0.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

11.45

-49.78%

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

Last update for Port of Spain: 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 of Spain

$515 31.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 27.4% $141

Groceries & Markets

Port of Spain

$354 21.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 27% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port of Spain

$199 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 31.1% $62

Eating Out

Port of Spain

$181 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 11.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Port of Spain

$161 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 29.7% $48

Getting Around

Port of Spain

$148 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 64.4% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Port of Spain

$75 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 2.5% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Port of Spain 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 0% higher in Port of Spain, 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 $88.0 in Port of Spain versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $354 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Port of Spain

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

14:26 2:26 PM

1 h behind Port of Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,074 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TTD – Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar ($)

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 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 TTD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port of Spain Playa del Carmen 2,950 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Port of Spain is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,448 per month in Port of Spain 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,632 in Port of Spain and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 35%.

Public transport costs about 385% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Port of Spain at $1,632. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port of Spain 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 of Spain makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.