Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barnegat, NJ and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,609 in Barnegat, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Barnegat, NJ
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Barnegat, NJ Living Index
57

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

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Barnegat, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,609

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,609 in Barnegat, NJ versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Barnegat, NJ $2,609
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,925 in Barnegat, NJ versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Barnegat, NJ $3,925
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,242 in Barnegat, NJ versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Barnegat, NJ $5,242
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Barnegat, NJ is roughly 117% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barnegat, NJ is 93% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.22 $18.22

$10.67 MX$199

70.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.6 $95.6

$43.80 MX$815

118.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.68 $10.68

$11.79 MX$219

-9.41%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$3.79 MX$70.5

36.41%

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

$3.30 $3.30

$1.30 MX$24.14

153.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$0.83 MX$15.51

227.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$3.15 MX$58.6

124.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.15 $8.15

$4.93 MX$91.8

65.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.41 MX$26.22

-21.99%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.20 MX$40.86

84.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.47 MX$27.40

187.07%

Eggs

$4.86 $4.86

$2.50 MX$46.47

94.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 $12.57

$7.29 MX$136

72.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.01 $13.01

$7.95 MX$148

63.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.55 $18.55

$12.86 MX$239

44.25%

Apples (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.90 MX$53.9

112.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.38 MX$25.74

11.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$2.49 MX$46.36

122.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.03 MX$37.78

91.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.02 MX$37.69

38.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.90 MX$35.42

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.14 MX$21.30

107.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.24 MX$23.06

79.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.69 $13.69

$4.27 MX$79.5

220.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.74 $15.74

$9.81 MX$183

60.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.59 MX$29.51

64.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.75 MX$51.1

43.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.51 MX$9.58

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.0 $58.0

$27.39 MX$510

111.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 $1.78

$4.76 MX$88.6

-62.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 $1.38

$3.25 MX$60.5

-57.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.24 $24.24

$5.39 MX$100

349.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.53 MX$28.44

-36.60%

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

$33.3K $33.3K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

57.02%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

15.17%

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

$211 $211

$83.5 MX$1,554

152.87%

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

$65.9 $65.9

$23.19 MX$431

183.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.5 $81.5

$27.61 MX$514

195.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.06 $40.06

$56.4 MX$1,050

-29.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$14.52 $14.52

$5.00 MX$93.1

190.40%

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

$1,951 $1,951

$207 MX$3,854

842.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K $20.6K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

293.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 $52.9

$43.45 MX$809

21.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.6 $62.6

$42.54 MX$792

47.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 $92.0

$72.8 MX$1,354

26.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$88.4 MX$1,645

24.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 $1,398

$995 MX$18.5K

40.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 $1,217

$382 MX$7,116

218.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,354 $2,354

$1,674 MX$31.2K

40.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 $2,111

$1,081 MX$20.1K

95.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,227 $3,227

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-17.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,127 $2,127

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-65.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.9

11.45

-39.74%

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

Last update for Barnegat, NJ: November 1, 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

Barnegat, NJ

$1.2K 46.7%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 68.6% $835

Groceries & Markets

Barnegat, NJ

$431 16.5%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 40.2% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barnegat, NJ

$358 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 62.5% $224

Eating Out

Barnegat, NJ

$316 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 36.5% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Barnegat, NJ

$143 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 22.1% $31

Getting Around

Barnegat, NJ

$75 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 32.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Barnegat, NJ

$69 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 3.8% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,398 in Barnegat, NJ and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $96 in Barnegat, NJ vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Barnegat, NJ

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

Same time as Barnegat, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817

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 →

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Barnegat, NJ Playa del Carmen 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Barnegat, NJ
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

Barnegat, NJ vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,609 in Barnegat, NJ and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,913 in Barnegat, NJ and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,398 in Barnegat, NJ versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,951 in Barnegat, NJ versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in Barnegat, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,609 in Barnegat, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Barnegat, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Barnegat, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.