Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yaounde and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaounde: $782 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Yaounde
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Yaounde Living Index
59

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

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Yaounde

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$782

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $782 per month in Yaounde vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yaounde $782
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,206 per month in Yaounde vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yaounde $1,206
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,629 per month in Yaounde vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yaounde $1,629
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Yaounde is about 35% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Yaounde and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Yaounde 42% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.50 FCFA 2,040

$10.76 MX$199

-67.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 FCFA 29.6K

$43.03 MX$795

17.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 FCFA 2,896

$11.79 MX$218

-57.85%

Cappuccino

$1.87 FCFA 1,089

$3.87 MX$71.4

-51.68%

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

$1.46 FCFA 854

$1.37 MX$25.29

6.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 FCFA 324

$0.84 MX$15.44

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 FCFA 698

$3.10 MX$57.3

-61.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 FCFA 980

$5.07 MX$93.6

-66.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.62 FCFA 2,109

$1.44 MX$26.55

151.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 FCFA 602

$2.23 MX$41.23

-53.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 FCFA 743

$1.47 MX$27.17

-13.61%

Eggs

$2.02 FCFA 1,179

$2.53 MX$46.71

-20.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.86 FCFA 8,080

$7.30 MX$135

89.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.02 FCFA 3,509

$7.86 MX$145

-23.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.42 FCFA 3,744

$12.79 MX$236

-49.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 FCFA 2,899

$2.90 MX$53.6

71.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 FCFA 1,139

$1.44 MX$26.53

35.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 FCFA 1,159

$2.55 MX$47.07

-21.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 FCFA 786

$2.06 MX$38.03

-34.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 FCFA 952

$2.00 MX$36.97

-18.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 FCFA 813

$2.01 MX$37.07

-30.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 FCFA 654

$1.19 MX$22.02

-5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 FCFA 381

$1.26 MX$23.23

-48.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 FCFA 982

$4.40 MX$81.4

-61.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 FCFA 4,808

$9.59 MX$177

-13.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 FCFA 772

$1.59 MX$29.41

-16.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 FCFA 1,132

$2.81 MX$51.9

-30.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 FCFA 305

$0.57 MX$10.47

-8.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.19 FCFA 10.0K

$27.82 MX$514

-38.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 FCFA 363

$4.98 MX$92.1

-87.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FCFA 261

$3.50 MX$64.6

-87.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.87 FCFA 3,422

$5.40 MX$99.8

8.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 FCFA 848

$1.47 MX$27.08

-0.68%

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

$32.6K FCFA 19.0M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

55.18%

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

$21.2K FCFA 12.4M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-11.33%

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

$80.1 FCFA 46.7K

$84.2 MX$1,556

-4.86%

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

$17.16 FCFA 10.0K

$23.99 MX$443

-28.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 FCFA 29.9K

$29.02 MX$536

76.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.85 FCFA 13.9K

$63.0 MX$1,164

-62.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.93 FCFA 4,041

$29.14 MX$539

-76.22%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 FCFA 4,849

$4.94 MX$91.3

68.42%

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

$615 FCFA 358.4K

$204 MX$3,763

201.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,333 FCFA 1.4M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-40.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.75 FCFA 9,767

$43.60 MX$806

-61.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.41 FCFA 16.0K

$43.12 MX$797

-36.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.17 FCFA 14.7K

$75.8 MX$1,400

-66.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.8 FCFA 32.6K

$88.6 MX$1,637

-36.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$142 FCFA 83.0K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-85.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 FCFA 106.7K

$374 MX$6,911

-51.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 FCFA 238.1K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-76.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 FCFA 121.2K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-81.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$855 FCFA 498.8K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-78.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$589 FCFA 343.7K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-90.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 FCFA 107.8K

$754 MX$13.9K

-75.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

13.54%

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

Last update for Yaounde: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Yaounde

$249 31.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 3.9% $9.6

Accommodation & Living

Yaounde

$183 23.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 104% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yaounde

$149 19%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 7.6% $11

Eating Out

Yaounde

$83 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 145% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Yaounde

$56 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 101% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Yaounde

$40 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 80% $32

Getting Around

Yaounde

$22 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 137% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $142 in Yaounde versus $1,008 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 308% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Yaounde versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $249 in Yaounde vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Yaounde wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Yaounde

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

11:51 11:51 AM

6 h behind Yaounde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,817,524 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Yaounde Playa del Carmen 10,750 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Yaounde
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,173 per month in Yaounde and $1,816 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 Yaounde, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $782 in Yaounde and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 55%.

Public transport costs about 62% less in Yaounde. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Yaounde, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Yaounde it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yaounde – 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 Yaounde. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.