Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tacloban and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Tacloban: $771 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Tacloban
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Tacloban Living Index
58

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

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Tacloban

🇵🇭 Philippines

$771

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $771 per month in Tacloban vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tacloban $771
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,152 per month in Tacloban vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tacloban $1,152
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,532 per month in Tacloban vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tacloban $1,532
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Tacloban is about 36% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tacloban and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tacloban 43% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.00 ₱255

$10.92 MX$205

-63.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.55 ₱991

$43.37 MX$814

-64.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.33 ₱148

$11.78 MX$221

-80.22%

Cappuccino

$2.31 ₱147

$3.81 MX$71.5

-39.37%

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

$0.68 ₱43.45

$1.28 MX$24.07

-46.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ₱23.15

$0.78 MX$14.70

-53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 ₱101

$3.17 MX$59.5

-49.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱138

$4.93 MX$92.7

-55.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 ₱122

$1.41 MX$26.40

35.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.4

$2.22 MX$41.62

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 ₱51.1

$1.42 MX$26.61

-43.66%

Eggs

$1.89 ₱121

$2.52 MX$47.36

-25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.05 ₱640

$7.26 MX$136

38.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 ₱262

$7.70 MX$144

-46.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.18 ₱457

$12.69 MX$238

-43.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 ₱203

$2.78 MX$52.3

14.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₱68.6

$1.37 MX$25.68

-21.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 ₱145

$2.55 MX$47.89

-10.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 ₱93.0

$2.12 MX$39.86

-31.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱146

$1.94 MX$36.39

18.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 ₱118

$1.89 MX$35.41

-2.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₱69.5

$1.15 MX$21.53

-5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ₱38.15

$1.18 MX$22.13

-49.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.86 ₱119

$4.30 MX$80.6

-56.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 ₱401

$9.95 MX$187

-36.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ₱68.2

$1.58 MX$29.73

-32.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱109

$2.67 MX$50.1

-35.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.79

$0.55 MX$10.39

-63.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.30 ₱784

$26.62 MX$500

-53.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱49.75

$4.97 MX$93.3

-84.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.03

$3.33 MX$62.5

-93.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 ₱119

$5.36 MX$101

-65.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ₱66.0

$1.44 MX$27.11

-27.78%

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

$21.2K ₱1.4M

$20.7K MX$388.0K

2.82%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-19.73%

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

$117 ₱7,465

$84.8 MX$1,592

38.16%

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

$15.64 ₱997

$23.41 MX$439

-33.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.34 ₱1,806

$28.66 MX$538

-1.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.68 ₱2,018

$57.1 MX$1,071

-44.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.30 ₱338

$28.91 MX$543

-81.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.36 ₱341

$5.14 MX$96.5

4.28%

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

$131 ₱8,335

$207 MX$3,878

-36.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,929 ₱505.2K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

101.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.33 ₱2,060

$43.35 MX$814

-25.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.29 ₱1,229

$41.44 MX$778

-53.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ₱4,876

$74.2 MX$1,393

3.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.0 ₱3,567

$89.3 MX$1,676

-37.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$254 ₱16.2K

$980 MX$18.4K

-74.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ₱12.2K

$381 MX$7,150

-49.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 ₱31.7K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-70.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ₱22.1K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-67.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,586 ₱164.8K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-34.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,114 ₱71.0K

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-81.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$340 ₱21.7K

$735 MX$13.8K

-53.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

11.45

-37.12%

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

Last update for Tacloban: October 27, 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

Tacloban

$195 25.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 30.3% $59

Accommodation & Living

Tacloban

$191 24.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 98.9% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tacloban

$161 20.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 15.1% $24

Eating Out

Tacloban

$83 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 143% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Tacloban

$83 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 34.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Tacloban

$42 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 58.8% $25

Getting Around

Tacloban

$15 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 237% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $254 in Tacloban 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.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Tacloban versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $255 – making Tacloban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tacloban

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:49 9:49 AM

20:49 8:49 PM

13 h behind Tacloban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,089

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 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 = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Tacloban
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,157 per month in Tacloban 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 Tacloban, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $771 in Tacloban and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Tacloban about 36% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Tacloban. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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

If budget matters most, go with Tacloban. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.