Cost of Living Comparison Between Punta Cana and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Punta Cana and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Punta Cana is 19.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 8.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Punta Cana is 8.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 16.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.59 DOP 506
$11.99 MX$227
-28.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.92 DOP 2,939
$42.47 MX$803
17.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.35 DOP 433
$10.47 MX$198
-29.80%
Cappuccino
$2.72 DOP 160
$3.6 MX$68.2
-24.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1 DOP 58.7
$1.44 MX$27.16
-30.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 DOP 49.14
$0.89 MX$16.79
-6.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.58 DOP 152
$3.09 MX$58.5
-16.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.97 DOP 293
$4.58 MX$86.6
8.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 DOP 81.1
$1.38 MX$26.04
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 DOP 84.9
$1.85 MX$34.9
-22.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.5 DOP 88.3
$1.57 MX$29.68
-4.46%
Eggs
$2.26 DOP 133
$2.55 MX$48.3
-11.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.09 DOP 417
$8.61 MX$163
-17.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.5 DOP 383
$8.54 MX$161
-23.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.34 DOP 608
$10.98 MX$208
-5.83%
Apples (1kg)
$3.14 DOP 185
$2.72 MX$51.4
15.44%
Banana (1kg)
$0.92 DOP 54.2
$1.51 MX$28.57
-39.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.27 DOP 133
$1.88 MX$35.63
20.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.95 DOP 115
$2.19 MX$41.42
-10.96%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 DOP 61.3
$1.87 MX$35.3
-44.39%
Onion (1kg)
$1.46 DOP 85.8
$2.19 MX$41.37
-33.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.78 DOP 46.14
$1.07 MX$20.23
-27.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 DOP 57
$1.09 MX$20.64
-11.01%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.89 DOP 347
$3.96 MX$74.9
48.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.13 DOP 420
$8.86 MX$167
-19.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.62 DOP 154
$1.72 MX$32.53
52.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.12 DOP 184
$2.61 MX$49.37
19.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 DOP 52
$0.52 MX$9.74
69.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.45 DOP 203
$3.24 MX$61.2
6.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.21 DOP 130
$2.38 MX$44.94
-7.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.99 DOP 353
$3.11 MX$58.7
92.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 DOP 77.2
$1.31 MX$24.85
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26K DOP 1.5M
$30.3K MX$573K
-14.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.1K DOP 1.9M
$24K MX$453.6K
33.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$76.3 DOP 4,491
$84.2 MX$1,592
-9.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.29 DOP 1,136
$22.14 MX$419
-12.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.07 DOP 2,123
$30.14 MX$570
19.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.5 DOP 3,677
$52 MX$983
20.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.72 MX$354
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.22 DOP 308
$5.07 MX$95.9
2.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$265 DOP 15.6K
$200 MX$3,787
32.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,312 DOP 430.4K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
37.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$15.56 DOP 916
$35.74 MX$676
-56.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.7 DOP 3,043
$39.8 MX$753
29.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$66.3 DOP 3,906
$79 MX$1,493
-15.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 DOP 6,795
$88.4 MX$1,671
30.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$854 DOP 50.3K
$965 MX$18.3K
-11.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$646 DOP 38K
$474 MX$8,968
36.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,288 DOP 75.8K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-22.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$884 DOP 52K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-26.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,000 DOP 176.6K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-2.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$913 DOP 53.7K
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-87.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$546 DOP 32.1K
$792 MX$15K
-31.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.9
11.42
12.96%

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

Last update for Punta Cana: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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