Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Charlotte Amalie and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,365 in Charlotte Amalie, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Charlotte Amalie

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$2,365

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,365 per month in Charlotte Amalie vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Charlotte Amalie $2,365
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $4,182 per month in Charlotte Amalie vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Charlotte Amalie $4,182
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,998 per month in Charlotte Amalie vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Charlotte Amalie $5,998
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Charlotte Amalie costs about 97% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Charlotte Amalie sits 75% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.12 $25.12

$10.67 MX$200

135.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$43.80 MX$819

170.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.79 $12.79

$11.79 MX$220

8.48%

Cappuccino

$7.22 $7.22

$3.79 MX$70.8

90.50%

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

$3.05 $3.05

$1.30 MX$24.26

134.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.83 MX$15.59

196.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.39 $5.39

$3.15 MX$58.9

71.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$4.93 MX$92.3

40.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.41 MX$26.35

97.87%

White Bread (500g)

$8.86 $8.86

$2.20 MX$41.07

302.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

Eggs

$7.17 $7.17

$2.50 MX$46.70

186.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 $4.92

$4.27 MX$79.9

15.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.93 $19.93

$9.81 MX$184

103.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$2.75 MX$51.3

148.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.17 $6.17

$0.51 MX$9.63

1109.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.93 $19.93

$4.76 MX$89.1

318.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.53 MX$28.58

-11.76%

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

$45.8K $45.8K

$21.2K MX$396.8K

115.68%

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

$48.7K $48.7K

$23.3K MX$435.1K

109.47%

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

$301 $301

$83.5 MX$1,562

261.01%

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

$61.0 $61.0

$23.19 MX$434

162.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 $101

$27.61 MX$516

265.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$199 $199

$56.4 MX$1,056

253.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

Cinema Ticket

$11.84 $11.84

$5.00 MX$93.5

136.80%

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

$207 MX$3,873

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 $89.1

$72.8 MX$1,361

22.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 $1,261

$995 MX$18.6K

26.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 $1,006

$382 MX$7,152

163.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,493 $3,493

$1,674 MX$31.3K

108.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 $3,014

$1,081 MX$20.2K

178.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Charlotte Amalie: 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

Charlotte Amalie

–

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Groceries & Markets

Charlotte Amalie

–

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Eating Out

Charlotte Amalie

–

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Charlotte Amalie

–

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Charlotte Amalie

–

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Charlotte Amalie

–

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Getting Around

Charlotte Amalie

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,261 in Charlotte Amalie 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $118 in Charlotte Amalie versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $199 in Charlotte Amalie vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Charlotte Amalie wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇮 Charlotte Amalie

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:54 10:54 AM

09:54 9:54 AM

1 h behind Charlotte Amalie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,477 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Charlotte Amalie Playa del Carmen 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Charlotte Amalie
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

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

Yes – Charlotte Amalie is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,547 per month in Charlotte Amalie 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 $1,261 in Charlotte Amalie.

Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Charlotte Amalie – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $118 in Charlotte Amalie and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Charlotte Amalie at $2,365. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Charlotte Amalie it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $2,365 in Charlotte Amalie. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.