Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Princesa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Princesa: $698 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Princesa
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Puerto Princesa Living Index
59

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

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Puerto Princesa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$698

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $698 per month in Puerto Princesa vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Puerto Princesa $698
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,050 per month in Puerto Princesa vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Puerto Princesa $1,050
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,401 per month in Puerto Princesa vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Puerto Princesa $1,401
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Puerto Princesa is about 42% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Puerto Princesa and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Puerto Princesa 48% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.28 ₱269

$10.86 MX$201

-60.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.79 ₱1,057

$44.21 MX$817

-62.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.35 ₱274

$11.76 MX$217

-63.01%

Cappuccino

$2.27 ₱143

$3.68 MX$68.0

-38.32%

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

$0.88 ₱55.4

$1.34 MX$24.79

-34.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.57

$0.82 MX$15.24

-40.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ₱76.3

$3.06 MX$56.6

-60.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₱152

$4.94 MX$91.2

-51.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₱105

$1.47 MX$27.17

13.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₱62.7

$2.22 MX$40.95

-54.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ₱48.58

$1.48 MX$27.32

-47.97%

Eggs

$1.75 ₱110

$2.49 MX$45.99

-29.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.62 ₱354

$7.52 MX$139

-25.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.52 ₱347

$7.96 MX$147

-30.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.87 ₱432

$12.57 MX$232

-45.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 ₱153

$2.78 MX$51.3

-12.59%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 ₱53.5

$1.43 MX$26.37

-40.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$2.62 MX$48.37

-9.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 ₱70.3

$2.14 MX$39.49

-47.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 ₱93.0

$2.02 MX$37.38

-26.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ₱83.8

$1.99 MX$36.74

-33.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ₱58.6

$1.14 MX$21.01

-18.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₱45.65

$1.20 MX$22.18

-39.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ₱177

$4.26 MX$78.7

-33.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.19 ₱452

$10.02 MX$185

-28.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₱63.8

$1.54 MX$28.41

-34.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 ₱83.4

$2.66 MX$49.17

-50.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.21

$0.53 MX$9.73

-54.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.04 ₱758

$27.51 MX$508

-56.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.78

$4.90 MX$90.6

-84.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.83

$3.43 MX$63.5

-92.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 ₱117

$5.38 MX$99.4

-65.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₱66.0

$1.45 MX$26.76

-27.59%

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

$16.7K ₱1.0M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

-21.28%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-16.05%

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

$61.6 ₱3,875

$85.4 MX$1,577

-27.89%

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

$11.07 ₱697

$23.46 MX$434

-52.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.05 ₱1,577

$28.43 MX$525

-11.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.44 ₱2,042

$62.2 MX$1,149

-47.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.50 ₱284

$28.68 MX$530

-84.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.19 ₱327

$5.10 MX$94.3

1.76%

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

$130 ₱8,193

$201 MX$3,715

-35.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,135 ₱575.1K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

131.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.53 ₱2,111

$44.39 MX$820

-24.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.08 ₱1,202

$41.35 MX$764

-53.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 ₱4,572

$72.7 MX$1,344

-0.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 ₱3,457

$89.6 MX$1,656

-38.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$286 ₱18.0K

$979 MX$18.1K

-70.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 ₱12.3K

$373 MX$6,887

-47.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 ₱32.4K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-69.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 ₱20.1K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-70.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,443 ₱153.8K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-38.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,002 ₱63.1K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-83.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$224 ₱14.1K

$738 MX$13.6K

-69.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.12

11.45

-29.08%

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

Last update for Puerto Princesa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Princesa

$195 27.9%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 90.9% $178

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Princesa

$176 25.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 47% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Princesa

$98 14%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 40.5% $40

Eating Out

Puerto Princesa

$91 13%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 120% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Princesa

$81 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 37.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Princesa

$43 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 69.1% $30

Getting Around

Puerto Princesa

$15 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 244% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $286 in Puerto Princesa versus $979 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 229% 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 $17.00 in Puerto Princesa versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $258 – making Puerto Princesa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Puerto Princesa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:51 6:51 PM

05:51 5:51 AM

13 h behind Puerto Princesa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

307,079

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Puerto Princesa Playa del Carmen 15,610 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Princesa
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,048 per month in Puerto Princesa 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 Puerto Princesa, 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 $698 in Puerto Princesa and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 72%.

Public transport costs about 128% less in Puerto Princesa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Princesa, where all-in costs run around $698, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Puerto Princesa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Puerto Princesa – 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 Puerto Princesa. 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.