Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roseau and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Roseau and in Playa del Carmen: $1,259 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Roseau
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Roseau Living Index
59

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

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Roseau

🇩🇲 Dominica

$1,259

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,259 per month in Roseau vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Roseau $1,259
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,123 per month in Roseau vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Roseau $2,123
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,988 per month in Roseau vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Roseau $2,988
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Roseau costs about 5% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Roseau and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Roseau 7% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.45 EC$20.11

$10.86 MX$201

-31.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 EC$152

$44.21 MX$817

27.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 EC$17.89

$11.76 MX$217

-43.71%

Cappuccino

$4.19 EC$11.31

$3.68 MX$68.0

13.86%

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

$2.41 EC$6.50

$1.34 MX$24.79

79.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 EC$5.86

$0.82 MX$15.24

164.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 EC$4.93

$3.06 MX$56.6

-40.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 EC$7.19

$4.94 MX$91.2

-46.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.27 EC$8.82

$1.47 MX$27.17

122.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 EC$5.76

$2.22 MX$40.95

-4.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 EC$3.29

$1.48 MX$27.32

-17.57%

Eggs

$5.44 EC$14.69

$2.49 MX$45.99

118.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.42 EC$6.54

$7.52 MX$139

-67.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.07 EC$29.90

$7.96 MX$147

39.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.03 EC$35.19

$12.57 MX$232

3.66%

Apples (1kg)

$6.58 EC$17.76

$2.78 MX$51.3

136.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 EC$6.58

$1.43 MX$26.37

70.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.57 EC$12.34

$2.62 MX$48.37

74.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.07 EC$13.68

$2.14 MX$39.49

136.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.52 EC$9.52

$2.02 MX$37.38

74.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 EC$8.21

$1.99 MX$36.74

52.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 EC$5.70

$1.14 MX$21.01

85.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 EC$7.34

$1.20 MX$22.18

126.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.46 EC$20.15

$4.26 MX$78.7

75.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 EC$29.44

$10.02 MX$185

8.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 EC$7.10

$1.54 MX$28.41

70.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 EC$8.08

$2.66 MX$49.17

12.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 EC$5.08

$0.53 MX$9.73

254.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.4 EC$144

$27.51 MX$508

94.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 EC$14.54

$4.90 MX$90.6

10.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 EC$7.90

$3.43 MX$63.5

-14.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.09 EC$27.25

$5.38 MX$99.4

87.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 EC$3.87

$1.45 MX$26.76

-1.38%

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

$35.6K EC$96.0K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

68.08%

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

$29.6K EC$80.0K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

28.76%

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

$143 EC$386

$85.4 MX$1,577

67.42%

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

$44.39 EC$120

$23.46 MX$434

89.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 EC$190

$28.43 MX$525

147.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.93 EC$124

$62.2 MX$1,149

-26.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.10 EC$62.4

$28.68 MX$530

-19.46%

Cinema Ticket

$8.11 EC$21.89

$5.10 MX$94.3

59.02%

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

$131 EC$353

$201 MX$3,715

-34.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,365 EC$11.8K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

10.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 EC$150

$44.39 MX$820

25.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.72 EC$99.1

$41.35 MX$764

-11.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 EC$202

$72.7 MX$1,344

2.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 EC$247

$89.6 MX$1,656

2.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 EC$778

$979 MX$18.1K

-70.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 EC$558

$373 MX$6,887

-44.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 EC$2,381

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-47.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 EC$1,741

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-41.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$123 EC$333

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-96.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$55.5 EC$150

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-99.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$473 EC$1,277

$738 MX$13.6K

-35.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.6

11.45

-33.62%

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

Last update for Roseau: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Roseau

$372 29.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 30.6% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roseau

$258 20.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 46.7% $120

Accommodation & Living

Roseau

$207 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 80.2% $166

Eating Out

Roseau

$163 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 23.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Roseau

$116 9.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 4.1% $4.7

Getting Around

Roseau

$81 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 36.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Roseau

$62 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 16.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $288 in Roseau 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 56% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Roseau versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇲 Roseau

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:38 7:38 AM

06:38 6:38 AM

1 h behind Roseau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.329 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.04 XCD (1 XCD = 0.329 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 XCD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Roseau Playa del Carmen 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Roseau
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

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

Yes – Roseau is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,888 per month in Roseau 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 Playa del Carmen, 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 $1,259 in Roseau and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 5%.

Public transport costs about 94% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Roseau at $1,259. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Roseau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – 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 Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Roseau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.