Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Upington and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Upington: $1,111 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

53

Cost of Living Index in Upington
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Upington Living Index
58

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

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Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,111

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,111 per month in Upington vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Upington $1,111
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,731 per month in Upington vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Upington $1,731
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,350 per month in Upington vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Upington $2,350
Playa del Carmen $2,959

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

Both Upington and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Upington 18% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.13 R 202

$10.92 MX$204

11.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.62 R 594

$43.37 MX$808

-17.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 R 97.2

$11.78 MX$220

-50.51%

Cappuccino

$1.75 R 29.17

$3.81 MX$71.0

-54.07%

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

$1.02 R 17.06

$1.28 MX$23.90

-20.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.87

$0.78 MX$14.59

-1.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 R 28.38

$3.17 MX$59.0

-46.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R 45.95

$4.93 MX$92.0

-44.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 R 15.45

$1.41 MX$26.22

-34.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 R 20.27

$2.22 MX$41.33

-45.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.83

$1.42 MX$26.42

13.38%

Eggs

$2.22 R 36.95

$2.52 MX$47.03

-11.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 R 138

$7.26 MX$135

14.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R 89.9

$7.70 MX$143

-29.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.17 R 136

$12.69 MX$237

-35.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 R 34.27

$2.78 MX$51.9

-25.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.76

$1.37 MX$25.50

8.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 R 27.37

$2.55 MX$47.55

-35.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.31

$2.12 MX$39.58

-16.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 R 22.33

$1.94 MX$36.13

-30.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 23.11

$1.89 MX$35.16

-26.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 R 18.43

$1.15 MX$21.37

-3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.33

$1.18 MX$21.98

3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 R 46.01

$4.30 MX$80.1

-35.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.73 R 62.1

$9.95 MX$185

-62.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.67

$1.58 MX$29.52

-2.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 R 34.77

$2.67 MX$49.79

-21.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 R 24.31

$0.55 MX$10.31

165.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 R 10.64

$4.97 MX$92.6

-87.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.16

$3.33 MX$62.1

-76.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.30 R 188

$5.36 MX$99.8

110.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 24.20

$1.44 MX$26.92

0.69%

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

$40.3K R 671.8K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

95.07%

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

$34.8K R 579.4K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

48.17%

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

$148 R 2,472

$84.8 MX$1,581

74.99%

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

$39.28 R 655

$23.41 MX$436

67.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 627

$28.66 MX$534

31.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.10 R 468

$57.1 MX$1,063

-50.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.70 R 195

$28.91 MX$539

-59.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 R 133

$5.14 MX$95.8

55.64%

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

$103 R 1,709

$207 MX$3,851

-50.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,540 R 92.3K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

41.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 R 929

$43.35 MX$808

28.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.07 R 534

$41.44 MX$772

-22.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 R 1,736

$74.2 MX$1,383

40.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,405

$89.3 MX$1,664

-5.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$389 R 6,474

$980 MX$18.3K

-60.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 R 5,958

$381 MX$7,099

-6.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 R 10.2K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-64.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 R 12.3K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-31.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$917 R 15.3K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-76.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$739 R 12.3K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-87.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$781 R 13.0K

$735 MX$13.7K

6.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

11.45

-0.61%

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

Last update for Upington: October 24, 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

Upington

$358 32.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 6.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Upington

$225 20.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 39.3% $88

Groceries & Markets

Upington

$193 17.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 32.1% $62

Eating Out

Upington

$157 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 29.1% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Upington

$124 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 10.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Upington

$44 4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 52.7% $23

Getting Around

Upington

$10 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 384% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $389 in Upington 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 6% higher in Upington, 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 $36 in Upington versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $255 – making Upington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Upington

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

14:59 2:59 PM

7 h behind Upington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,834

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

Upington Playa del Carmen 12,810 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Upington
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,667 per month in Upington 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 Upington, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $389 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,111 in Upington and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Upington about 8% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $103 per month in Upington and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,111 in Upington and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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