Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Subic Bay Freeport Zone and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Subic Bay Freeport Zone: $641 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Subic Bay Freeport Zone
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Subic Bay Freeport Zone Living Index
58

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

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Subic Bay Freeport Zone

🇵🇭 Philippines

$641

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $641 per month in Subic Bay Freeport Zone vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Subic Bay Freeport Zone $641
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $978 per month in Subic Bay Freeport Zone vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Subic Bay Freeport Zone $978
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,315 per month in Subic Bay Freeport Zone vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Subic Bay Freeport Zone $1,315
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Subic Bay Freeport Zone is about 47% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Subic Bay Freeport Zone and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Subic Bay Freeport Zone 53% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 ₱293

$10.92 MX$205

-57.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.04 ₱894

$43.37 MX$815

-67.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 ₱327

$11.78 MX$221

-56.45%

Cappuccino

$2.21 ₱141

$3.81 MX$71.6

-41.99%

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

$0.68 ₱43.04

$1.28 MX$24.10

-46.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.32

$0.78 MX$14.71

-57.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 ₱88.6

$3.17 MX$59.5

-56.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₱128

$4.93 MX$92.7

-59.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₱100

$1.41 MX$26.43

12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₱69.5

$2.22 MX$41.66

-50.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.85 ₱54.1

$1.42 MX$26.64

-40.14%

Eggs

$1.93 ₱123

$2.52 MX$47.41

-23.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.86 ₱310

$7.26 MX$137

-33.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 ₱254

$7.70 MX$145

-48.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 ₱481

$12.69 MX$239

-40.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ₱136

$2.78 MX$52.3

-23.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

$1.37 MX$25.71

26.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 ₱162

$2.55 MX$47.94

-0.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ₱73.3

$2.12 MX$39.90

-45.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 ₱141

$1.94 MX$36.43

13.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 ₱133

$1.89 MX$35.44

10.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₱58.6

$1.15 MX$21.55

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₱38.57

$1.18 MX$22.16

-48.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 ₱181

$4.30 MX$80.7

-33.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 ₱468

$9.95 MX$187

-26.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₱58.8

$1.58 MX$29.76

-41.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ₱117

$2.67 MX$50.2

-31.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 ₱11.78

$0.55 MX$10.40

-67.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.86 ₱819

$26.62 MX$500

-51.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₱51.3

$4.97 MX$93.4

-83.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.37

$3.33 MX$62.6

-93.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱118

$5.36 MX$101

-65.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 ₱65.8

$1.44 MX$27.14

-28.47%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$20.7K MX$388.4K

-7.43%

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

$20.0K ₱1.3M

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-14.93%

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

$135 ₱8,578

$84.8 MX$1,594

58.85%

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

$14.33 ₱913

$23.41 MX$440

-38.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.57 ₱1,055

$28.66 MX$539

-42.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.08 ₱1,916

$57.1 MX$1,072

-47.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.28 ₱337

$28.91 MX$543

-81.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 ₱333

$5.14 MX$96.6

1.75%

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

$127 ₱8,078

$207 MX$3,882

-38.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,688 ₱489.6K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

95.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.05 ₱1,850

$43.35 MX$815

-32.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.80 ₱1,325

$41.44 MX$779

-49.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.5 ₱4,046

$74.2 MX$1,394

-14.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.93 ₱2,989

$89.3 MX$1,677

-47.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$124 ₱7,896

$980 MX$18.4K

-87.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.0 ₱4,905

$381 MX$7,157

-79.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$323 ₱20.6K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-81.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 ₱11.9K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-82.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,434 ₱155.0K

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-38.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 ₱72.8K

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-81.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.92

11.45

-39.56%

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

Last update for Subic Bay Freeport Zone: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$177 27.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 44.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$166 25.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 17.4% $29

Eating Out

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$94 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 116% $109

Accommodation & Living

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$77 12%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 394% $304

Clothing & Footwear

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$72 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 54.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$41 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 66.1% $27

Getting Around

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$15 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 227% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $124 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone versus $980 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $14 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $255 – making Subic Bay Freeport Zone the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Subic Bay Freeport Zone

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

21:20 9:20 PM

13 h behind Subic Bay Freeport Zone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

221,178

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Subic Bay Freeport Zone Playa del Carmen 15,070 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Subic Bay Freeport Zone
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

Subic Bay Freeport Zone vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 88%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $962 per month in Subic Bay Freeport Zone 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 Subic Bay Freeport Zone, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $124 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $641 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Subic Bay Freeport Zone about 47% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Subic Bay Freeport Zone. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Subic Bay Freeport Zone, where all-in costs run around $641, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Subic Bay Freeport Zone it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Subic Bay Freeport Zone – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Subic Bay Freeport Zone is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 47% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.