Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suva and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $946 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$946

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $946 per month in Suva vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Suva $946
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,717 per month in Suva vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Suva $1,717
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,489 per month in Suva vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Suva $2,489
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Suva is about 22% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Suva and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Suva 30% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.93 FJD 13.28

$10.76 MX$199

-44.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.78 FJD 100

$43.03 MX$795

4.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.51 FJD 16.81

$11.79 MX$218

-36.30%

Cappuccino

$2.85 FJD 6.37

$3.87 MX$71.4

-26.36%

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

$1.50 FJD 3.36

$1.37 MX$25.29

9.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 FJD 1.67

$0.84 MX$15.44

-10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 FJD 7.98

$3.10 MX$57.3

14.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 FJD 10.24

$5.07 MX$93.6

-9.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 FJD 2.97

$1.44 MX$26.55

-7.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 FJD 1.28

$2.23 MX$41.23

-74.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 FJD 2.53

$1.47 MX$27.17

-23.13%

Eggs

$3.38 FJD 7.57

$2.53 MX$46.71

33.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 FJD 22.78

$7.30 MX$135

39.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 FJD 14.19

$7.86 MX$145

-19.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.96 FJD 17.82

$12.79 MX$236

-37.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 FJD 5.58

$2.90 MX$53.6

-14.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 FJD 5.43

$1.44 MX$26.53

68.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 FJD 7.94

$2.55 MX$47.07

39.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 FJD 7.11

$2.06 MX$38.03

53.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 FJD 2.83

$2.00 MX$36.97

-37.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 FJD 2.37

$2.01 MX$37.07

-47.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 FJD 2.61

$1.19 MX$22.02

-2.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 FJD 1.54

$1.26 MX$23.23

-45.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 FJD 22.15

$4.40 MX$81.4

124.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.19 FJD 16.10

$9.59 MX$177

-25.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 FJD 4.74

$1.59 MX$29.41

32.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 FJD 7.60

$2.81 MX$51.9

20.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 FJD 1.97

$0.57 MX$10.47

54.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.34 FJD 50.0

$27.82 MX$514

-19.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 FJD 2.05

$4.98 MX$92.1

-81.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FJD 1.01

$3.50 MX$64.6

-87.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 FJD 19.70

$5.40 MX$99.8

62.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 FJD 3.21

$1.47 MX$27.08

-2.72%

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

$24.3K FJD 54.5K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

15.90%

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

$24.7K FJD 55.3K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

3.28%

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

$46.26 FJD 104

$84.2 MX$1,556

-45.07%

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

$12.75 FJD 28.54

$23.99 MX$443

-46.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.21 FJD 54.2

$29.02 MX$536

-16.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.81 FJD 82.4

$63.0 MX$1,164

-41.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.31 FJD 25.32

$29.14 MX$539

-61.19%

Cinema Ticket

$3.42 FJD 7.65

$4.94 MX$91.3

-30.77%

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

$225 FJD 503

$204 MX$3,763

10.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

240.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.29 FJD 74.5

$43.60 MX$806

-23.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.64 FJD 88.8

$43.12 MX$797

-8.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 FJD 154

$75.8 MX$1,400

-9.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 FJD 134

$88.6 MX$1,637

-32.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 FJD 1,992

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-11.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 FJD 736

$374 MX$6,911

-12.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,589 FJD 5,797

$1,708 MX$31.6K

51.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$999 FJD 2,236

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-9.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,310 FJD 2,933

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-66.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$820 FJD 1,836

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-86.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 FJD 2,160

$754 MX$13.9K

27.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.7

11.45

-32.75%

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

Last update for Suva: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Suva

$329 34.7%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 13.8% $45

Groceries & Markets

Suva

$231 24.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 12% $28

Eating Out

Suva

$140 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 44.4% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Suva

$91 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 24.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suva

$83 8.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 64.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Suva

$44 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 67% $29

Getting Around

Suva

$29 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 81.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $889 in Suva 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 28% higher in Suva, 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 $45.00 in Suva versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $231 in Suva vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Suva wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇯 Suva

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

01:09 1:09 AM

17 h behind Suva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Fijian Dollar FJD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.397 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to FJD – Fijian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇫🇯 Fijian Dollar ($)

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.52 FJD (1 FJD = 0.397 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 FJD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Suva Playa del Carmen 11,160 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Suva
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,419 per month in Suva 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 Suva, 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 $946 in Suva and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 28%.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Suva. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Suva, where all-in costs run around $946, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Suva it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Suva – 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 Suva. 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.