Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East Hampton, NY and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,526 in East Hampton, NY, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

East Hampton, NY, United States
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
East Hampton, NY
🇺🇸 United States
$2,526
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,526 in East Hampton, NY versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • East Hampton, NY $2,526
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,756 in East Hampton, NY versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

  • East Hampton, NY $3,756
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,986 in East Hampton, NY versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

  • East Hampton, NY $4,986
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in East Hampton, NY is roughly 110% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: East Hampton, NY is 86% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
East Hampton, NY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.87 $19.87
$10.92 MX$204
81.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$75.0 $75.0
$43.37 MX$808
73.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.56 $11.56
$11.78 MX$220
-1.87%
Cappuccino
$5.21 $5.21
$3.81 MX$71.0
36.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.60 $2.60
$1.28 MX$23.90
103.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 $2.05
$0.78 MX$14.59
162.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.96 $5.96
$3.17 MX$59.0
88.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.42 $7.42
$4.93 MX$92.0
50.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
East Hampton, NY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.06 $1.06
$1.41 MX$26.22
-24.82%
White Bread (500g)
$3.65 $3.65
$2.22 MX$41.33
64.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.47 $4.47
$1.42 MX$26.42
214.79%
Eggs
$4.25 $4.25
$2.52 MX$47.03
68.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.67 $12.67
$7.26 MX$135
74.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.35 $11.35
$7.70 MX$143
47.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.08 $17.08
$12.69 MX$237
34.59%
Apples (1kg)
$5.04 $5.04
$2.78 MX$51.9
81.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.65 $1.65
$1.37 MX$25.50
20.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.68 $4.68
$2.55 MX$47.55
83.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.77 $4.77
$2.12 MX$39.58
125.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.48 $2.48
$1.94 MX$36.13
27.84%
Onion (1kg)
$3.29 $3.29
$1.89 MX$35.16
74.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.95 $1.95
$1.15 MX$21.37
69.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.12 $2.12
$1.18 MX$21.98
79.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.22 $10.22
$4.30 MX$80.1
137.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.85 $14.85
$9.95 MX$185
49.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.12 $2.12
$1.58 MX$29.52
34.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.15 $3.15
$2.67 MX$49.79
17.98%
🚌 Getting Around
East Hampton, NY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.08 $2.08
$0.55 MX$10.31
278.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.6 $60.6
$26.62 MX$496
127.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.77 $2.77
$4.97 MX$92.6
-44.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 $1.55
$3.33 MX$62.1
-53.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.16 $28.16
$5.36 MX$99.8
425.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.20 $1.20
$1.44 MX$26.92
-16.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.8K $30.8K
$20.7K MX$385.2K
48.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.7K $24.7K
$23.5K MX$437.4K
5.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
East Hampton, NY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$213 $213
$84.8 MX$1,581
151.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$51.4 $51.4
$23.41 MX$436
119.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.5 $67.5
$28.66 MX$534
135.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
East Hampton, NY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.21 $41.21
$57.1 MX$1,063
-27.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.99 $12.99
$5.14 MX$95.8
152.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
East Hampton, NY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,502 $1,502
$207 MX$3,851
627.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.7K $21.7K
$3,927 MX$73.2K
452.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
East Hampton, NY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.1 $59.1
$43.35 MX$808
36.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.64 $46.64
$41.44 MX$772
12.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.8 $80.8
$74.2 MX$1,383
8.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.5 $97.5
$89.3 MX$1,664
9.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
East Hampton, NY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,754 $1,754
$980 MX$18.3K
79.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,201 $1,201
$381 MX$7,099
215.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,807 $2,807
$1,708 MX$31.8K
64.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,083 $2,083
$1,075 MX$20.0K
93.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,982 $2,982
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-24.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,527 $2,527
$6,158 MX$114.8K
-58.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
East Hampton, NY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$735 MX$13.7K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.57
11.45
-42.62%

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

Last update for East Hampton, NY: 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.
Accommodation & Living
East Hampton, NY
$1.2K
Playa del Carmen
$381 68.3% $820
Groceries & Markets
East Hampton, NY
$399
Playa del Carmen
$255 36.2% $145
Monthly Utilities & Internet
East Hampton, NY
$332
Playa del Carmen
$137 58.8% $195
Eating Out
East Hampton, NY
$319
Playa del Carmen
$202 36.7% $117
Clothing & Footwear
East Hampton, NY
$128
Playa del Carmen
$112 12.6% $16
Getting Around
East Hampton, NY
$79
Playa del Carmen
$50 36.5% $29
Sport & Entertainment
East Hampton, NY
$67
Playa del Carmen
$67 0.2% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,754 in East Hampton, NY and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75 in East Hampton, NY vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 East Hampton, NY
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
12:08 12:08 PM
11:08 11:08 AM
1 h behind East Hampton, NY
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
28,385
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • East Hampton, NY Playa del Carmen 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • East Hampton, 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
East Hampton, NY vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than East Hampton, NY?
Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 110% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $3,789 in East Hampton, NY and $1,806 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.
What is the rent difference between East Hampton, NY and Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,754 in East Hampton, NY versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $1,502 in East Hampton, NY versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in East Hampton, NY and in Playa del Carmen?
Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in East Hampton, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in East Hampton, NY or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,526 in East Hampton, NY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in East Hampton, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in East Hampton, NY or in Playa del Carmen?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in East Hampton, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

East Hampton, NY vs other spots: cost of living compared

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