Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Shepstone and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Shepstone: $1,007 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

48

Cost of Living Index in Port Shepstone
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Port Shepstone Living Index
58

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

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Port Shepstone

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,007

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,007 per month in Port Shepstone vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Shepstone $1,007
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,582 per month in Port Shepstone vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Shepstone $1,582
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,156 per month in Port Shepstone vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Shepstone $2,156
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Port Shepstone is about 16% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Port Shepstone and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Port Shepstone 26% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.04 R 134

$10.92 MX$205

-26.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.88 R 666

$43.37 MX$814

-8.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.95 R 99.5

$11.78 MX$221

-49.49%

Cappuccino

$2.64 R 44.12

$3.81 MX$71.5

-30.71%

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

$1.14 R 19.05

$1.28 MX$24.07

-10.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.35

$0.78 MX$14.70

10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 R 41.62

$3.17 MX$59.5

-21.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R 44.15

$4.93 MX$92.7

-46.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 R 15.85

$1.41 MX$26.40

-32.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 R 11.79

$2.22 MX$41.62

-68.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R 20.75

$1.42 MX$26.61

-12.68%

Eggs

$1.48 R 24.66

$2.52 MX$47.36

-41.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.20 R 120

$7.26 MX$136

-0.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 R 61.6

$7.70 MX$144

-52.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.49 R 125

$12.69 MX$238

-40.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 R 20.69

$2.78 MX$52.3

-55.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 R 12.53

$1.37 MX$25.68

-45.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.62 R 10.37

$2.55 MX$47.89

-75.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 R 25.16

$2.12 MX$39.86

-28.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 R 9.95

$1.94 MX$36.39

-69.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 R 23.38

$1.89 MX$35.41

-25.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 R 14.77

$1.15 MX$21.53

-23.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 R 10.53

$1.18 MX$22.13

-46.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 R 61.8

$4.30 MX$80.6

-13.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.88 R 81.6

$9.95 MX$187

-50.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 R 24.40

$1.58 MX$29.73

-7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R 32.09

$2.67 MX$50.1

-28.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.76

$0.55 MX$10.39

180.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 R 7.54

$4.97 MX$93.3

-90.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.57

$3.33 MX$62.5

-77.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.76 R 130

$5.36 MX$101

44.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 R 22.68

$1.44 MX$27.11

-5.56%

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

$36.2K R 604.2K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

74.98%

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

$33.3K R 555.6K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

41.72%

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

$123 R 2,052

$84.8 MX$1,592

44.82%

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

$18.50 R 309

$23.41 MX$439

-20.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.99 R 618

$28.66 MX$538

29.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.96 R 534

$57.1 MX$1,071

-43.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.10 R 186

$28.91 MX$543

-61.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 122

$5.14 MX$96.5

41.83%

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

$315 R 5,263

$207 MX$3,878

52.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,688 R 128.4K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

95.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 R 896

$43.35 MX$814

23.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.74 R 514

$41.44 MX$778

-25.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R 1,678

$74.2 MX$1,393

35.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 R 1,443

$89.3 MX$1,676

-3.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 R 6,639

$980 MX$18.4K

-59.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 R 6,069

$381 MX$7,150

-4.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$745 R 12.5K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-56.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R 12.4K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-30.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$886 R 14.8K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-77.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$678 R 11.3K

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-88.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,014 R 50.4K

$735 MX$13.8K

310.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

11.45

2.88%

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

Last update for Port Shepstone: October 24, 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 Shepstone

$363 36.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 4.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Shepstone

$178 17.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 23.2% $41

Groceries & Markets

Port Shepstone

$147 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 73% $108

Eating Out

Port Shepstone

$140 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 45% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Port Shepstone

$122 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 8.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Port Shepstone

$47 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 44.7% $21

Getting Around

Port Shepstone

$10 * 1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 386% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $397 in Port Shepstone 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 Port Shepstone are about 4.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Port Shepstone versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $255 – making Port Shepstone the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Port Shepstone

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:11 4:11 AM

21:11 9:11 PM

7 h behind Port Shepstone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,793

149,923

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.34 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.34 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 21.02 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Port Shepstone Playa del Carmen 13,730 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,511 per month in Port Shepstone 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 Shepstone, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,007 in Port Shepstone and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Port Shepstone about 16% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $315 per month in Port Shepstone and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,007 in Port Shepstone and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,007 in Port Shepstone to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.