Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quezon City and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Quezon City: $860 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Quezon City
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Quezon City Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Quezon City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$860

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $860 per month in Quezon City vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Quezon City $860
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,372 per month in Quezon City vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Quezon City $1,372
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,885 per month in Quezon City vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Quezon City $1,885
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Quezon City is about 29% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Quezon City and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Quezon City 36% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 ₱282

$10.76 MX$199

-58.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.90 ₱1,190

$43.03 MX$795

-56.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.84 ₱179

$11.79 MX$218

-75.91%

Cappuccino

$2.79 ₱175

$3.87 MX$71.4

-27.91%

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

$0.75 ₱47.41

$1.37 MX$25.29

-45.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₱16.78

$0.84 MX$15.44

-67.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ₱91.6

$3.10 MX$57.3

-53.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 ₱178

$5.07 MX$93.6

-44.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₱106

$1.44 MX$26.55

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱71.6

$2.23 MX$41.23

-48.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ₱53.0

$1.47 MX$27.17

-42.86%

Eggs

$1.75 ₱110

$2.53 MX$46.71

-30.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.69 ₱421

$7.30 MX$135

-8.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 ₱267

$7.86 MX$145

-46.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.23 ₱455

$12.79 MX$236

-43.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 ₱250

$2.90 MX$53.6

36.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 ₱85.7

$1.44 MX$26.53

-5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 ₱218

$2.55 MX$47.07

35.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ₱71.3

$2.06 MX$38.03

-45.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 ₱148

$2.00 MX$36.97

17.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 ₱209

$2.01 MX$37.07

65.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₱89.7

$1.19 MX$22.02

19.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.2

$1.26 MX$23.23

-23.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ₱178

$4.40 MX$81.4

-35.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 ₱487

$9.59 MX$177

-19.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₱83.8

$1.59 MX$29.41

-16.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₱113

$2.81 MX$51.9

-36.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ₱22.92

$0.57 MX$10.47

-36.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.25 ₱1,212

$27.82 MX$514

-30.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.63

$4.98 MX$92.1

-84.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.22

$3.50 MX$64.6

-94.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 ₱162

$5.40 MX$99.8

-52.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ₱74.6

$1.47 MX$27.08

-19.73%

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

$21.4K ₱1.4M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

2.21%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-20.08%

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

$163 ₱10.2K

$84.2 MX$1,556

93.20%

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

$14.34 ₱903

$23.99 MX$443

-40.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.17 ₱1,522

$29.02 MX$536

-16.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.36 ₱2,415

$63.0 MX$1,164

-39.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.30 ₱207

$29.14 MX$539

-88.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.01 ₱441

$4.94 MX$91.3

41.90%

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

$71.8 ₱4,522

$204 MX$3,763

-64.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,491 ₱156.8K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-36.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.65 ₱2,245

$43.60 MX$806

-18.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.77 ₱1,433

$43.12 MX$797

-47.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₱4,898

$75.8 MX$1,400

2.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.0 ₱4,850

$88.6 MX$1,637

-13.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 ₱19.7K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-69.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 ₱11.8K

$374 MX$6,911

-49.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 ₱47.0K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-56.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$537 ₱33.8K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-51.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,370 ₱149.2K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-39.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,425 ₱89.7K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-76.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 ₱27.0K

$754 MX$13.9K

-43.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-38.86%

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

Last update for Quezon City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Quezon City

$206 24%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 25.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quezon City

$201 23.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 31.8% $64

Accommodation & Living

Quezon City

$187 21.8%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 99.9% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Quezon City

$96 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 17.7% $17

Eating Out

Quezon City

$95 11%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 113% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Quezon City

$52 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 39.1% $20

Getting Around

Quezon City

$23 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 133% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $312 in Quezon City versus $1,008 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 76% 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 $19.00 in Quezon City versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $258 – making Quezon City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Quezon City

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

15:03 3:03 PM

13 h behind Quezon City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,936,116

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 18, 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 18, 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

Quezon City Playa del Carmen 15,030 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Quezon City
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,290 per month in Quezon City and $1,816 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 Quezon City, 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 $860 in Quezon City and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 41%.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Quezon City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quezon City, where all-in costs run around $860, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Quezon City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Quezon City – 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 Quezon City. 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.