Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boca Raton, FL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,423 in Boca Raton, FL, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

164

Cost of Living Index in Boca Raton, FL
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Boca Raton, FL Living Index
59

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

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Boca Raton, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,423

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,423 in Boca Raton, FL versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Boca Raton, FL $3,423
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,232 in Boca Raton, FL versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Boca Raton, FL $5,232
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,041 in Boca Raton, FL versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Boca Raton, FL $7,041
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Boca Raton, FL is roughly 184% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Boca Raton, FL is 153% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.78 $24.78

$10.86 MX$201

128.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$44.21 MX$817

127.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.29 $12.29

$11.76 MX$217

4.51%

Cappuccino

$4.59 $4.59

$3.68 MX$68.0

24.73%

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

$2.27 $2.27

$1.34 MX$24.79

69.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$0.82 MX$15.24

130.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.06 MX$56.6

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$4.94 MX$91.2

44.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.47 MX$27.17

-28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.22 MX$40.95

91.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$1.48 MX$27.32

379.05%

Eggs

$5.33 $5.33

$2.49 MX$45.99

114.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.62 $11.62

$7.52 MX$139

54.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.07 $14.07

$7.96 MX$147

76.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.50 $23.50

$12.57 MX$232

86.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.78 MX$51.3

78.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.43 MX$26.37

32.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.62 MX$48.37

44.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$2.14 MX$39.49

139.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.02 MX$37.38

59.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.99 MX$36.74

64.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.14 MX$21.01

-11.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.20 MX$22.18

114.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.16 $10.16

$4.26 MX$78.7

138.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.02 $14.02

$10.02 MX$185

39.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.54 MX$28.41

29.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$2.66 MX$49.17

-9.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.53 MX$9.73

286.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.69 $35.69

$27.51 MX$508

29.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 $4.01

$4.90 MX$90.6

-18.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 $0.72

$3.43 MX$63.5

-79.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.70 $29.70

$5.38 MX$99.4

452.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.45 MX$26.76

-35.17%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

63.00%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

10.46%

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

$217 $217

$85.4 MX$1,577

154.46%

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

$53.9 $53.9

$23.46 MX$434

129.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.5 $73.5

$28.43 MX$525

158.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.17 $36.17

$62.2 MX$1,149

-41.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.21 $20.21

$28.68 MX$530

-29.53%

Cinema Ticket

$15.19 $15.19

$5.10 MX$94.3

197.84%

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

$1,073 $1,073

$201 MX$3,715

433.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

438.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.13 $46.13

$44.39 MX$820

3.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.47 $42.47

$41.35 MX$764

2.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 $70.7

$72.7 MX$1,344

-2.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.1 $68.1

$89.6 MX$1,656

-24.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,372 $3,372

$979 MX$18.1K

244.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 $2,057

$373 MX$6,887

451.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,578 $4,578

$1,681 MX$31.1K

172.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,894 $3,894

$1,095 MX$20.2K

255.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,693 $8,693

$3,949 MX$73.0K

120.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,480 $6,480

$6,137 MX$113.4K

5.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,714 $5,714

$738 MX$13.6K

674.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

11.45

-42.97%

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

Last update for Boca Raton, FL: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boca Raton, FL

$2.1K 60.1%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 81.9% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Boca Raton, FL

$449 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 42.5% $191

Eating Out

Boca Raton, FL

$352 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 43.1% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boca Raton, FL

$345 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 60.2% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Boca Raton, FL

$102 3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 9.1% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Boca Raton, FL

$67 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 8.8% $5.9

Getting Around

Boca Raton, FL

$52 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,372 in Boca Raton, FL and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Boca Raton, FL pays 675% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $100 in Boca Raton, FL vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $449 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Boca Raton, FL

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

12:13 12:13 PM

1 h behind Boca Raton, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,396

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Boca Raton, FL Playa del Carmen 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Boca Raton, FL
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

Boca Raton, FL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 184% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 675% higher in Boca Raton, FL, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $3,372 in Boca Raton, FL versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $100 in Boca Raton, FL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,423 per month in Boca Raton, FL versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 184% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,423 in Boca Raton, FL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Boca Raton, FL. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Boca Raton, FL, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 184% less than in Boca Raton, FL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.