Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Praia and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Praia and in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 and $1,215 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Praia
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Praia Living Index
60

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

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Praia

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$1,202

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Praia vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Praia $1,202
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $1,804 per month in Praia vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Praia $1,804
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $2,407 per month in Praia vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Praia $2,407
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Praia is about 1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Praia and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Praia 10% lower, Playa del Carmen 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.10 CVE 502

$10.97 MX$201

-53.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.09 CVE 3,553

$44.85 MX$823

-19.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.08 CVE 697

$11.92 MX$219

-40.60%

Cappuccino

$2.65 CVE 260

$3.80 MX$69.9

-30.26%

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

$1.60 CVE 157

$1.31 MX$24.08

22.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 CVE 117

$0.86 MX$15.72

38.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 CVE 251

$3.21 MX$59.0

-20.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 CVE 195

$5.01 MX$92.0

-60.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 CVE 137

$1.46 MX$26.77

-4.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 CVE 200

$2.33 MX$42.72

-12.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 CVE 349

$1.44 MX$26.48

145.83%

Eggs

$2.36 CVE 232

$2.46 MX$45.20

-4.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.35 CVE 2,595

$7.70 MX$141

242.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.68 CVE 461

$7.89 MX$145

-40.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.59 CVE 1,634

$12.80 MX$235

29.61%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 CVE 503

$2.92 MX$53.6

75.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.97 CVE 292

$1.42 MX$26.11

109.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CVE 402

$2.57 MX$47.10

58.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 CVE 427

$2.14 MX$39.24

102.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 CVE 146

$1.95 MX$35.75

-24.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 CVE 142

$1.94 MX$35.55

-25.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 CVE 98.0

$1.15 MX$21.13

-13.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CVE 147

$1.22 MX$22.42

22.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.29 CVE 521

$4.38 MX$80.3

20.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.33 CVE 820

$9.85 MX$181

-15.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 CVE 178

$1.54 MX$28.23

17.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 CVE 177

$2.72 MX$49.86

-34.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 CVE 79.5

$0.52 MX$9.64

55.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.32 CVE 2,887

$27.42 MX$503

6.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 CVE 173

$4.91 MX$90.2

-64.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 CVE 120

$3.52 MX$64.7

-65.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 CVE 153

$1.54 MX$28.27

0.65%

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

$29.1K CVE 2.9M

$21.2K MX$389.9K

37.07%

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

$37.4K CVE 3.7M

$24.5K MX$449.6K

52.90%

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

$178 CVE 17.5K

$83.6 MX$1,535

113.19%

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

$18.15 CVE 1,787

$24.03 MX$441

-24.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 CVE 5,000

$29.33 MX$539

73.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.07 CVE 3,158

$64.9 MX$1,191

-50.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.98 CVE 983

$29.46 MX$541

-66.12%

Cinema Ticket

$5.60 CVE 551

$5.09 MX$93.4

10.02%

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

$128 CVE 12.6K

$208 MX$3,813

-38.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,146 CVE 309.7K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

-22.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 CVE 6,094

$44.55 MX$818

38.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.25 CVE 2,486

$42.06 MX$772

-39.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 CVE 6,499

$75.5 MX$1,387

-12.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 CVE 8,835

$91.4 MX$1,678

-1.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 CVE 57.6K

$986 MX$18.1K

-40.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$291 CVE 28.7K

$385 MX$7,072

-24.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 CVE 87.6K

$1,713 MX$31.5K

-48.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 CVE 46.4K

$1,108 MX$20.4K

-57.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,337 CVE 131.6K

$4,016 MX$73.7K

-66.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$982 CVE 96.6K

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-84.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$302 CVE 29.7K

$758 MX$13.9K

-60.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-30.13%

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

Last update for Praia: October 5, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Praia

$350 29.1%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 25.6% $90

Accommodation & Living

Praia

$291 24.2%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 32.2% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Praia

$247 20.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 44.6% $110

Eating Out

Praia

$122 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 67.7% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Praia

$109 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 4.4% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Praia

$43 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 73.4% $32

Getting Around

Praia

$40 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 28.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $586 in Praia versus $986 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 151% 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 $36.00 in Praia versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Praia vs $260 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇻 Praia

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

05:40 5:40 AM

4 h behind Praia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,832 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CVE = 10.16 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CVE – Cabo Verdean Escudo Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇻 Cabo Verdean Escudo ($)

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 98.45 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to CVE in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Praia Playa del Carmen 6,720 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Praia
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,803 per month in Praia and $1,823 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 Praia, 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 $1,202 in Praia and $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 1%.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Praia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Praia, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,215. In Praia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Praia – 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 Praia. 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.