Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surinam and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Surinam: $626 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Surinam
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Surinam Living Index
59

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

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Surinam

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$626

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $626 per month in Surinam vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Surinam $626
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,049 per month in Surinam vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Surinam $1,049
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,472 per month in Surinam vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Surinam $1,472
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Surinam is about 48% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Surinam and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Surinam 54% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.96 MUR 280

$10.86 MX$201

-45.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.18 MUR 1,797

$44.21 MX$817

-13.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 MUR 355

$11.76 MX$217

-35.88%

Cappuccino

$2.70 MUR 127

$3.68 MX$68.0

-26.63%

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

$1.18 MUR 55.3

$1.34 MX$24.79

-11.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 MUR 31.99

$0.82 MX$15.24

-17.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 MUR 126

$3.06 MX$56.6

-12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 MUR 218

$4.94 MX$91.2

-6.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MUR 75.6

$1.47 MX$27.17

9.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 MUR 33.80

$2.22 MX$40.95

-67.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 MUR 51.8

$1.48 MX$27.32

-25.68%

Eggs

$2.65 MUR 125

$2.49 MX$45.99

6.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.31 MUR 250

$7.52 MX$139

-29.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 MUR 291

$7.96 MX$147

-22.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.05 MUR 520

$12.57 MX$232

-12.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 MUR 132

$2.78 MX$51.3

1.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 MUR 125

$1.43 MX$26.37

86.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 MUR 68.3

$2.62 MX$48.37

-44.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 MUR 140

$2.14 MX$39.49

39.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 MUR 43.58

$2.02 MX$37.38

-53.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 MUR 45.08

$1.99 MX$36.74

-51.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 MUR 34.57

$1.14 MX$21.01

-35.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 MUR 41.98

$1.20 MX$22.18

-25.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.34 MUR 298

$4.26 MX$78.7

48.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 MUR 405

$10.02 MX$185

-14.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 MUR 78.3

$1.54 MX$28.41

7.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 MUR 112

$2.66 MX$49.17

-10.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 MUR 192

$4.90 MX$90.6

-16.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 MUR 151

$3.43 MX$63.5

-6.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.97 MUR 987

$5.38 MX$99.4

289.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 MUR 65.2

$1.45 MX$26.76

-4.14%

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

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

74.69%

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

$30.4K MUR 1.4M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

32.28%

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

$44.93 MUR 2,115

$85.4 MX$1,577

-47.36%

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

$10.67 MUR 502

$23.46 MX$434

-54.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.60 MUR 1,346

$28.43 MX$525

0.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 MUR 301

$5.10 MX$94.3

25.29%

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

$124 MUR 5,826

$201 MX$3,715

-38.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,598 MUR 357.7K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

92.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.6 MUR 3,702

$44.39 MX$820

77.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.1 MUR 3,533

$41.35 MX$764

81.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 MUR 5,633

$72.7 MX$1,344

64.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 MUR 3,678

$89.6 MX$1,656

-12.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

11.45

-41.75%

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

Last update for Surinam: October 19, 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

Surinam

$217 34.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 18.8% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Surinam

$158 25.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29.4% $47

Eating Out

Surinam

$133 21.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 50.8% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surinam

$84 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 63% $53

Getting Around

Surinam

$20 * 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 156% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Surinam

$13 * 2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 467% $60

Accommodation & Living

Surinam

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Surinam versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $258 – making Surinam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Surinam

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

19:58 7:58 PM

9 h behind Surinam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,500

149,923

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surinam Playa del Carmen 16,340 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Surinam
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $938 per month in Surinam and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $626 in Surinam and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 93%.

Kindergarten costs $124 per month in Surinam and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surinam, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Surinam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surinam – 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 Surinam. 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.