Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tembisa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Tembisa: $1,105 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

53

Cost of Living Index in Tembisa
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Tembisa Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Tembisa

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,105 per month in Tembisa vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tembisa $1,105
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,734 per month in Tembisa vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tembisa $1,734
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,363 per month in Tembisa vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tembisa $2,363
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Tembisa is about 8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tembisa and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tembisa 19% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.69 R 161

$10.92 MX$204

-11.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.77 R 663

$43.37 MX$808

-8.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.82 R 97.0

$11.78 MX$220

-50.59%

Cappuccino

$2.31 R 38.53

$3.81 MX$71.0

-39.37%

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

$1.10 R 18.29

$1.28 MX$23.90

-14.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 R 13.79

$0.78 MX$14.59

6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 R 40.12

$3.17 MX$59.0

-23.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 R 46.70

$4.93 MX$92.0

-43.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.53

$1.41 MX$26.22

-17.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 18.37

$2.22 MX$41.33

-50.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 R 30.35

$1.42 MX$26.42

28.17%

Eggs

$2.54 R 42.40

$2.52 MX$47.03

0.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 R 140

$7.26 MX$135

15.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 R 81.9

$7.70 MX$143

-36.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 R 120

$12.69 MX$237

-43.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.09

$2.78 MX$51.9

-34.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.11

$1.37 MX$25.50

23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.76

$2.55 MX$47.55

-32.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.71

$2.12 MX$39.58

-21.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.26

$1.94 MX$36.13

-24.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 R 24.12

$1.89 MX$35.16

-23.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.62

$1.15 MX$21.37

7.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.41

$1.18 MX$21.98

-1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 R 55.4

$4.30 MX$80.1

-22.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 R 83.8

$9.95 MX$185

-49.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.20

$1.58 MX$29.52

-12.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 R 32.84

$2.67 MX$49.79

-26.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 R 26.03

$0.55 MX$10.31

183.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 R 10.61

$4.97 MX$92.6

-87.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.53

$3.33 MX$62.1

-72.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.73 R 195

$5.36 MX$99.8

118.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 R 24.63

$1.44 MX$26.92

2.78%

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

$36.3K R 604.7K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

75.59%

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

$33.3K R 554.9K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

41.90%

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

$149 R 2,479

$84.8 MX$1,581

75.45%

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

$35.37 R 589

$23.41 MX$436

51.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.16 R 619

$28.66 MX$534

29.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.03 R 534

$57.1 MX$1,063

-43.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.74 R 179

$28.91 MX$539

-62.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 R 123

$5.14 MX$95.8

43.39%

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

$247 R 4,116

$207 MX$3,851

19.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,513 R 91.9K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

40.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 R 906

$43.35 MX$808

25.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.07 R 551

$41.44 MX$772

-20.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R 1,687

$74.2 MX$1,383

36.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 R 1,486

$89.3 MX$1,664

-0.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 R 6,537

$980 MX$18.3K

-59.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,987

$381 MX$7,099

-5.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 R 12.4K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-56.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 R 12.5K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-29.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$877 R 14.6K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-77.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$682 R 11.4K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-88.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$566 R 9,430

$735 MX$13.7K

-22.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.45

-4.45%

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

Last update for Tembisa: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Tembisa

$359 32.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tembisa

$221 20%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 38.2% $84

Groceries & Markets

Tembisa

$193 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 32% $62

Eating Out

Tembisa

$148 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 36.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Tembisa

$125 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 10.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Tembisa

$47 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 43.9% $21

Getting Around

Tembisa

$12 * 1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 337% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $392 in Tembisa 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 30% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Tembisa versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $255 – making Tembisa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Tembisa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:35 10:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

7 h behind Tembisa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

463,109

149,923

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tembisa Playa del Carmen 13,440 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Tembisa
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,658 per month in Tembisa 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 Tembisa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,105 in Tembisa and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Tembisa about 8% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $247 per month in Tembisa and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,105 in Tembisa and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,105 in Tembisa to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Tembisa. 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.