Cost of Living Comparison Between Tortola and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Tortola and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Tortola is 81% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 101.9% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Tortola is 115.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 98.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Tortola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.3 $29.3
$11.99 MX$227
144.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.8 $76.8
$42.47 MX$803
80.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.06 $15.06
$10.47 MX$198
43.84%
Cappuccino
$7.35 $7.35
$3.6 MX$68.2
104.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 $1.85
$1.44 MX$27.16
28.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 $1.31
$0.89 MX$16.79
47.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.48 $3.48
$3.09 MX$58.5
12.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.08 $4.08
$4.58 MX$86.6
-10.92%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Tortola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.59 $2.59
$1.38 MX$26.04
87.68%
White Bread (500g)
$5.28 $5.28
$1.85 MX$34.9
185.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$6.65 $6.65
$1.57 MX$29.68
323.57%
Eggs
$7.37 $7.37
$2.55 MX$48.3
189.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.89 $12.89
$8.61 MX$163
49.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.13 $13.13
$8.54 MX$161
53.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.17 $20.17
$10.98 MX$208
83.70%
Apples (1kg)
$3.2 $3.2
$2.72 MX$51.4
17.65%
Banana (1kg)
$3.88 $3.88
$1.51 MX$28.57
156.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 $1.96
$1.88 MX$35.63
4.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.3 $7.3
$2.19 MX$41.42
233.33%
Potato (1kg)
$5.91 $5.91
$1.87 MX$35.3
216.04%
Onion (1kg)
$4.93 $4.93
$2.19 MX$41.37
125.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$11.9 $11.9
$1.07 MX$20.23
1012.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.09 MX$20.64
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.01 $5.01
$3.96 MX$74.9
26.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.34 $9.34
$8.86 MX$167
5.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.88 $3.88
$1.72 MX$32.53
125.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.61 MX$49.37
-
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Tortola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.52 MX$9.74
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.24 MX$61.2
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.38 MX$44.94
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.11 MX$58.7
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
-
$1.31 MX$24.85
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$30.3K MX$573K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$24K MX$453.6K
-
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tortola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$127 $127
$84.2 MX$1,592
50.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$100 $100
$22.14 MX$419
352.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$113 $113
$30.14 MX$570
276.54%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Tortola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$119 $119
$52 MX$983
128.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.72 MX$354
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.82 $14.82
$5.07 MX$95.9
192.31%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Tortola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$200 MX$3,787
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Tortola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$35.74 MX$676
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$39.8 MX$753
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$183 $183
$79 MX$1,493
132.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 $112
$88.4 MX$1,671
26.67%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Tortola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,243 $1,243
$965 MX$18.3K
28.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$983 $983
$474 MX$8,968
107.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,959 $2,959
$1,653 MX$31.2K
79.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,711 $2,711
$1,202 MX$22.7K
125.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$10.7K $10.7K
$7,529 MX$142.3K
41.93%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Tortola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,909 $1,909
$792 MX$15K
141.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.5
11.42
-51.84%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Tortola: October 27, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.