Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Duncans and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Duncans: $1,011 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Duncans
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Duncans Living Index
58

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

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Duncans

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,011

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,011 per month in Duncans vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Duncans $1,011
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,673 per month in Duncans vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Duncans $1,673
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,336 per month in Duncans vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Duncans $2,336
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Duncans is about 16% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Duncans and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Duncans 26% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.60 JMD 2,144

$10.92 MX$204

24.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.7 JMD 11.9K

$43.37 MX$808

74.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 JMD 1,284

$11.78 MX$220

-30.90%

Cappuccino

$5.44 JMD 858

$3.81 MX$71.0

42.78%

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

$1.14 JMD 180

$1.28 MX$23.90

-10.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 JMD 111

$0.78 MX$14.59

-8.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 JMD 355

$3.17 MX$59.0

-29.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 JMD 507

$4.93 MX$92.0

-34.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.15 JMD 655

$1.41 MX$26.22

194.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.73 JMD 588

$2.22 MX$41.33

68.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 JMD 249

$1.42 MX$26.42

11.27%

Eggs

$3.58 JMD 565

$2.52 MX$47.03

42.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.50 JMD 1,813

$7.26 MX$135

58.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.21 JMD 979

$7.70 MX$143

-19.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.34 JMD 1,631

$12.69 MX$237

-18.52%

Apples (1kg)

$6.01 JMD 947

$2.78 MX$51.9

116.19%

Banana (1kg)

$3.97 JMD 625

$1.37 MX$25.50

189.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.54 JMD 1,190

$2.55 MX$47.55

195.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 JMD 476

$2.12 MX$39.58

42.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 JMD 523

$1.94 MX$36.13

71.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 JMD 411

$1.89 MX$35.16

38.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 JMD 475

$1.15 MX$21.37

161.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 226

$1.18 MX$21.98

21.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.48 JMD 1,494

$4.30 MX$80.1

120.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.25 JMD 1,775

$9.95 MX$185

13.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 JMD 439

$1.58 MX$29.52

75.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 JMD 625

$2.67 MX$49.79

48.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 JMD 200

$4.97 MX$92.6

-74.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 JMD 505

$3.33 MX$62.1

-3.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.23 JMD 983

$5.36 MX$99.8

16.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 JMD 228

$1.44 MX$26.92

0.69%

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

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

113.32%

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

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

37.03%

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

$171 JMD 27.0K

$84.8 MX$1,581

102.03%

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

$29.64 JMD 4,674

$23.41 MX$436

26.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 JMD 8,166

$28.66 MX$534

80.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$13.41 JMD 2,115

$5.14 MX$95.8

160.89%

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

$355 JMD 56.0K

$207 MX$3,851

71.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,307 JMD 1.3M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

111.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.91 JMD 3,771

$43.35 MX$808

-44.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.38 JMD 4,949

$41.44 MX$772

-24.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

$74.2 MX$1,383

6.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 JMD 16.3K

$89.3 MX$1,664

15.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

11.45

-17.47%

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

Last update for Duncans: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Duncans

$384 38%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 33.6% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Duncans

$253 25%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 45.9% $116

Eating Out

Duncans

$224 22.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 9.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Duncans

$107 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 4.6% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Duncans

$27 * 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 151% $40

Getting Around

Duncans

$17 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 192% $33

Accommodation & Living

Duncans

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Duncans versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Duncans

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

Same time as Duncans

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,153

149,923

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Duncans Playa del Carmen 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Duncans
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,517 per month in Duncans and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,011 in Duncans and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 19%.

Kindergarten costs $355 per month in Duncans and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,011 in Duncans and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,011 in Duncans to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.