Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tamarin and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Tamarin: $1,033 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Tamarin, Mauritius
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Tamarin
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$1,033
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,033 per month in Tamarin vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tamarin $1,033
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,648 per month in Tamarin vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tamarin $1,648
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,263 per month in Tamarin vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tamarin $2,263
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Tamarin is about 14% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tamarin and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tamarin 24% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tamarin
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.00 MUR 280
$10.92 MX$205
-45.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.24 MUR 1,502
$43.37 MX$813
-25.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.12 MUR 332
$11.78 MX$221
-39.56%
Cappuccino
$2.69 MUR 126
$3.81 MX$71.4
-29.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.15 MUR 53.4
$1.28 MX$24.03
-10.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 MUR 29.77
$0.78 MX$14.67
-17.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 MUR 121
$3.17 MX$59.3
-18.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.81 MUR 224
$4.93 MX$92.5
-2.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tamarin
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 MUR 69.3
$1.41 MX$26.35
5.67%
White Bread (500g)
$0.20 MUR 9.31
$2.22 MX$41.54
-90.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.14 MUR 53.2
$1.42 MX$26.56
-19.72%
Eggs
$2.55 MUR 119
$2.52 MX$47.27
1.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.75 MUR 175
$7.26 MX$136
-48.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.26 MUR 292
$7.70 MX$144
-18.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.29 MUR 526
$12.69 MX$238
-11.03%
Apples (1kg)
$2.11 MUR 98.2
$2.78 MX$52.2
-24.10%
Banana (1kg)
$2.14 MUR 99.6
$1.37 MX$25.64
56.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 MUR 65.4
$2.55 MX$47.80
-45.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.01 MUR 140
$2.12 MX$39.78
41.98%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 MUR 44.71
$1.94 MX$36.32
-50.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.02 MUR 47.34
$1.89 MX$35.34
-46.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.70 MUR 32.38
$1.15 MX$21.49
-39.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 MUR 41.03
$1.18 MX$22.09
-25.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.18 MUR 288
$4.30 MX$80.5
43.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.69 MUR 405
$9.95 MX$186
-12.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 MUR 78.6
$1.58 MX$29.67
6.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 MUR 90.2
$2.67 MX$50.1
-27.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Tamarin
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 MUR 40.41
$0.55 MX$10.37
58.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.62 MX$499
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.24 MUR 197
$4.97 MX$93.1
-14.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.24 MUR 151
$3.33 MX$62.4
-2.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.42 MUR 299
$5.36 MX$100
19.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.37 MUR 63.7
$1.44 MX$27.06
-4.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K MUR 1.4M
$20.7K MX$387.3K
44.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.7K MUR 1.4M
$23.5K MX$439.7K
30.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tamarin
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.27 MUR 2,062
$84.8 MX$1,589
-47.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.47 MUR 488
$23.41 MX$439
-55.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.63 MUR 1,380
$28.66 MX$537
3.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tamarin
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.34 MUR 1,926
$57.1 MX$1,069
-27.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$542
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.46 MUR 301
$5.14 MX$96.3
25.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tamarin
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$125 MUR 5,833
$207 MX$3,871
-39.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,083 MUR 143.6K
$3,927 MX$73.6K
-21.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tamarin
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.5 MUR 2,960
$43.35 MX$812
46.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.8 MUR 2,507
$41.44 MX$777
29.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.9 MUR 4,002
$74.2 MX$1,390
15.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.9 MUR 2,745
$89.3 MX$1,672
-33.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tamarin
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$957 MUR 44.6K
$980 MX$18.4K
-2.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$420 MUR 19.6K
$381 MX$7,136
10.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 MUR 74.9K
$1,708 MX$32.0K
-5.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$862 MUR 40.1K
$1,075 MX$20.1K
-19.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,943 MX$73.9K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,158 MX$115.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tamarin
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$835 MUR 38.9K
$735 MX$13.8K
13.74%
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 Tamarin: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tamarin
$420
Playa del Carmen
$381 9.4% $40
Groceries & Markets
Tamarin
$200
Playa del Carmen
$255 27.3% $55
Eating Out
Tamarin
$131
Playa del Carmen
$202 54% $71
Clothing & Footwear
Tamarin
$118
Playa del Carmen
$112 5.3% $6.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tamarin
$84
Playa del Carmen
$137 62.2% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Tamarin
$54
Playa del Carmen
$67 24.1% $13
Getting Around
Tamarin
$24 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 111% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $957 in Tamarin 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 run about 14% higher in Tamarin, 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 $32 in Tamarin versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $255 – making Tamarin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇺 Tamarin
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
00:55 12:55 AM
15:55 3:55 PM
9 h behind Tamarin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,371
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 52.21 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tamarin Playa del Carmen 16,320 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tamarin
  • 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
Tamarin vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tamarin cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,549 per month in Tamarin and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Tamarin and Playa del Carmen?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $957 in Tamarin and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
What are total monthly expenses in Tamarin and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,033 in Tamarin and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Tamarin about 14% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $125 per month in Tamarin and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Tamarin or in Playa del Carmen?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,033 in Tamarin and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is it better to live in Tamarin or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,033 in Tamarin to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Tamarin vs other spots: cost of living compared

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