Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amherst, NY and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,512 in Amherst, NY, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Amherst, NY
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Amherst, NY Living Index
57

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

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Amherst, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,512

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,512 per month in Amherst, NY vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Amherst, NY $2,512
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,853 per month in Amherst, NY vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Amherst, NY $3,853
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,195 per month in Amherst, NY vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Amherst, NY $5,195
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Amherst, NY costs about 109% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Amherst, NY sits 86% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.08 $18.08

$10.67 MX$199

69.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.0 $78.0

$43.80 MX$815

78.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 $12.17

$11.79 MX$219

3.22%

Cappuccino

$5.94 $5.94

$3.79 MX$70.5

56.73%

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

$2.75 $2.75

$1.30 MX$24.14

111.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.83 MX$15.51

148.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 $6.93

$3.15 MX$58.6

120.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.58 $7.58

$4.93 MX$91.8

53.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.41 MX$26.22

-37.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.20 MX$40.86

50.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.47 MX$27.40

193.88%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$2.50 MX$46.47

58.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 $11.06

$7.29 MX$136

51.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 $9.98

$7.95 MX$148

25.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.86 $15.86

$12.86 MX$239

23.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.90 MX$53.9

69.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.38 MX$25.74

3.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.49 MX$46.36

76.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$2.03 MX$37.78

159.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.02 MX$37.69

34.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.90 MX$35.42

55.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.14 MX$21.30

110.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.24 MX$23.06

99.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.03 $15.03

$4.27 MX$79.5

251.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$9.81 MX$183

53.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.59 MX$29.51

25.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.75 MX$51.1

49.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.51 MX$9.58

282.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 $54.1

$27.39 MX$510

97.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$4.76 MX$88.6

-40.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.25 MX$60.5

-36.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.01 $20.01

$5.39 MX$100

271.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.53 MX$28.44

-22.88%

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

$30.6K $30.6K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

44.31%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

10.82%

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

$234 $234

$83.5 MX$1,554

180.15%

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

$51.7 $51.7

$23.19 MX$431

123.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$27.61 MX$514

140.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 $40.31

$56.4 MX$1,050

-28.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.77 $19.77

$28.19 MX$525

-29.87%

Cinema Ticket

$12.88 $12.88

$5.00 MX$93.1

157.60%

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

$1,263 $1,263

$207 MX$3,854

510.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K $18.9K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

261.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$43.45 MX$809

23.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.22 $44.22

$42.54 MX$792

3.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 $96.1

$72.8 MX$1,354

32.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$88.4 MX$1,645

29.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,547 $1,547

$995 MX$18.5K

55.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,174 $1,174

$382 MX$7,116

206.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,716 $2,716

$1,674 MX$31.2K

62.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 $2,269

$1,081 MX$20.1K

109.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,775 $2,775

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-29.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,351 $2,351

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-61.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,179 $4,179

$832 MX$15.5K

402.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.52

11.45

-43.06%

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

Last update for Amherst, NY: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amherst, NY

$1.2K 46.7%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 67.4% $791

Groceries & Markets

Amherst, NY

$384 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 33% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amherst, NY

$352 14%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 61.8% $218

Eating Out

Amherst, NY

$322 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 37.7% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Amherst, NY

$139 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 19.9% $28

Getting Around

Amherst, NY

$75 3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 32.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Amherst, NY

$66 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 0.6% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,547 in Amherst, NY versus $995 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 in Amherst, NY are about 5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Amherst, NY versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Amherst, NY

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

Same time as Amherst, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,819

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Amherst, NY Playa del Carmen 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Amherst, NY
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

Amherst, NY vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Amherst, NY costs about 109% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,767 per month in Amherst, NY and $1,804 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,547 in Amherst, NY.

Kindergarten costs $1,263 per month in Amherst, NY and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Amherst, NY, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Amherst, NY at $2,512. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Amherst, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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