Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eliot, ME and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,785 in Eliot, ME, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Eliot, ME
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Eliot, ME Living Index
58

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

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Eliot, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,785

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,785 per month in Eliot, ME vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Eliot, ME $2,785
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,039 per month in Eliot, ME vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Eliot, ME $4,039
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,292 per month in Eliot, ME vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Eliot, ME $5,292
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Eliot, ME costs about 131% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Eliot, ME sits 105% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.34 $18.34

$10.92 MX$204

67.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 $50.3

$43.37 MX$808

16.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.04 $9.04

$11.78 MX$220

-23.26%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$3.81 MX$71.0

33.60%

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

$1.88 $1.88

$1.28 MX$23.90

46.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.78 MX$14.59

88.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.09 $8.09

$3.17 MX$59.0

155.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.18 $9.18

$4.93 MX$92.0

86.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.41 MX$26.22

-18.44%

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.22 MX$41.33

97.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.87 $6.87

$1.42 MX$26.42

383.80%

Eggs

$6.11 $6.11

$2.52 MX$47.03

142.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.88 $15.88

$7.26 MX$135

118.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.33 $14.33

$7.70 MX$143

86.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.43 $19.43

$12.69 MX$237

53.11%

Apples (1kg)

$7.55 $7.55

$2.78 MX$51.9

171.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.37 MX$25.50

47.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$2.55 MX$47.55

112.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.75 $7.75

$2.12 MX$39.58

265.57%

Potato (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.94 MX$36.13

127.32%

Onion (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$1.89 MX$35.16

117.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.15 MX$21.37

153.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.18 MX$21.98

142.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.93 $12.93

$4.30 MX$80.1

200.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.57 $15.57

$9.95 MX$185

56.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.58 MX$29.52

93.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.67 MX$49.79

66.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.55 MX$10.31

247.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.0 $55.0

$26.62 MX$496

106.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$4.97 MX$92.6

-48.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 $1.73

$3.33 MX$62.1

-48.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.59 $27.59

$5.36 MX$99.8

414.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.44 MX$26.92

-23.61%

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

$29.5K $29.5K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

42.97%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

10.44%

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

$248 $248

$84.8 MX$1,581

192.43%

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

$44.72 $44.72

$23.41 MX$436

91.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.9 $75.9

$28.66 MX$534

164.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.38 $40.38

$57.1 MX$1,063

-29.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 $16.24

$5.14 MX$95.8

215.95%

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

$2,663 $2,663

$207 MX$3,851

1189.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K $35.8K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

811.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.4 $74.4

$43.35 MX$808

71.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$41.44 MX$772

25.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$74.2 MX$1,383

51.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 $153

$89.3 MX$1,664

71.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 $1,569

$980 MX$18.3K

60.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,268 $1,268

$381 MX$7,099

233.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 $2,494

$1,708 MX$31.8K

45.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,131 $2,131

$1,075 MX$20.0K

98.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,464 $2,464

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-37.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,052 $2,052

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-66.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

11.45

-41.83%

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

Last update for Eliot, ME: October 25, 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

Eliot, ME

$1.3K 45.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 70% $887

Groceries & Markets

Eliot, ME

$518 18.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 50.8% $263

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eliot, ME

$369 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 62.9% $232

Eating Out

Eliot, ME

$307 11%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 34.1% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Eliot, ME

$176 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 36.6% $65

Getting Around

Eliot, ME

$74 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 31.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Eliot, ME

$73 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 7.6% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,569 in Eliot, ME versus $980 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 $50 in Eliot, ME versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $518 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Eliot, ME

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

18:13 6:13 PM

1 h behind Eliot, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,700

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Eliot, ME Playa del Carmen 2,920 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Eliot, ME
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

Eliot, ME vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Eliot, ME costs about 131% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,177 per month in Eliot, ME and $1,806 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 $980 there versus $1,569 in Eliot, ME.

Groceries cost about 103% more in Eliot, ME, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Eliot, ME and $43 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 $1,204, than in Eliot, ME at $2,785. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Eliot, ME it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 57% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.