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 12.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 10.9% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Punta Cana is 2.9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 15.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.66 DOP 517
$11.85 MX$212
-26.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$51.1 DOP 3,052
$42.16 MX$755
21.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.44 DOP 444
$10.75 MX$192
-30.79%
Cappuccino
$2.58 DOP 154
$3.47 MX$62.2
-25.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 DOP 62.0
$1.45 MX$26.01
-28.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 DOP 46.63
$0.90 MX$16.16
-13.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 DOP 155
$3.05 MX$54.7
-15.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.11 DOP 305
$4.42 MX$79.1
15.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.40 DOP 83.5
$1.37 MX$24.51
2.19%
White Bread (500g)
$1.40 DOP 83.6
$1.87 MX$33.51
-25.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 DOP 88.7
$1.54 MX$27.63
-3.90%
Eggs
$2.31 DOP 138
$2.50 MX$44.81
-7.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.06 DOP 422
$8.61 MX$154
-18.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.33 DOP 378
$8.63 MX$155
-26.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.40 DOP 621
$11.02 MX$197
-5.63%
Apples (1kg)
$3.14 DOP 187
$2.75 MX$49.22
14.18%
Banana (1kg)
$0.92 DOP 54.7
$1.43 MX$25.56
-35.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.20 DOP 131
$1.87 MX$33.52
17.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.94 DOP 116
$2.17 MX$38.80
-10.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.06 DOP 63.2
$1.88 MX$33.70
-43.62%
Onion (1kg)
$1.51 DOP 90.2
$2.25 MX$40.21
-32.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.78 DOP 46.47
$1.07 MX$19.11
-27.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.91 DOP 54.2
$1.07 MX$19.22
-14.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.92 DOP 354
$4.15 MX$74.4
42.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.51 DOP 687
$10.34 MX$185
11.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.72 DOP 163
$1.68 MX$30.06
61.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.27 DOP 195
$2.48 MX$44.46
31.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 DOP 52.4
$0.55 MX$9.93
60.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.53 MX$475
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.42 DOP 204
$3.22 MX$57.6
6.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 DOP 127
$2.48 MX$44.42
-14.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.96 DOP 356
$3.11 MX$55.7
91.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 DOP 78.8
$1.26 MX$22.48
4.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K DOP 1.6M
$30.7K MX$548.8K
-12.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.4K DOP 1.9M
$24.0K MX$430.3K
30.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.8 DOP 4,644
$82.5 MX$1,476
-5.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.27 DOP 1,151
$22.29 MX$399
-13.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.43 DOP 2,176
$30.02 MX$537
21.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.2 DOP 3,834
$51.4 MX$921
24.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.29 MX$327
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.05 DOP 302
$4.98 MX$89.2
1.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$264 DOP 15.8K
$200 MX$3,580
31.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,357 DOP 439.4K
$5,304 MX$94.9K
38.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$15.76 DOP 941
$35.71 MX$639
-55.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.3 DOP 3,125
$39.56 MX$708
32.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.3 DOP 4,021
$80.6 MX$1,442
-16.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 DOP 6,989
$88.3 MX$1,581
32.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$849 DOP 50.7K
$969 MX$17.4K
-12.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$647 DOP 38.7K
$482 MX$8,632
34.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,281 DOP 76.5K
$1,595 MX$28.6K
-19.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$882 DOP 52.7K
$1,184 MX$21.2K
-25.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,986 DOP 178.3K
$4,050 MX$72.5K
-26.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,297 DOP 77.5K
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-80.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Punta Cana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$756 MX$13.5K
-
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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