Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elizabeth City, NC and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Elizabeth City, NC
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Elizabeth City, NC Living Index
59

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

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Elizabeth City, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,456

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,456 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Elizabeth City, NC $2,456
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,522 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Elizabeth City, NC $3,522
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,588 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Elizabeth City, NC $4,588
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Elizabeth City, NC costs about 104% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Elizabeth City, NC sits 81% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.95 $11.95

$10.86 MX$201

10.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.93 $34.93

$44.21 MX$817

-20.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.60 $11.60

$11.76 MX$217

-1.36%

Cappuccino

$5.84 $5.84

$3.68 MX$68.0

58.70%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.34 MX$24.79

88.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.82 MX$15.24

148.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.06 MX$56.6

100.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$4.94 MX$91.2

43.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.47 MX$27.17

-35.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.22 MX$40.95

64.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.48 MX$27.32

102.70%

Eggs

$4.78 $4.78

$2.49 MX$45.99

91.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 $10.81

$7.52 MX$139

43.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 $10.01

$7.96 MX$147

25.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.49 $17.49

$12.57 MX$232

39.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.78 MX$51.3

57.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.43 MX$26.37

-10.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.62 MX$48.37

67.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.14 MX$39.49

111.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.02 MX$37.38

6.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.99 MX$36.74

11.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.14 MX$21.01

76.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.20 MX$22.18

85.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.86 $8.86

$4.26 MX$78.7

107.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$10.02 MX$185

47.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.54 MX$28.41

37.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.66 MX$49.17

-0.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.53 MX$9.73

241.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$4.90 MX$90.6

-40.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$3.43 MX$63.5

-43.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.19 $18.19

$5.38 MX$99.4

238.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.45 MX$26.76

-31.03%

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

$30.6K $30.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

44.59%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

11.33%

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

$183 $183

$85.4 MX$1,577

114.46%

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

$56.8 $56.8

$23.46 MX$434

142.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.6 $59.6

$28.43 MX$525

109.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.64 $45.64

$62.2 MX$1,149

-26.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 $15.06

$5.10 MX$94.3

195.29%

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

$1,491 $1,491

$201 MX$3,715

641.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.9K $24.9K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

529.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 $54.7

$44.39 MX$820

23.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.11 $40.11

$41.35 MX$764

-3.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 $87.8

$72.7 MX$1,344

20.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$89.6 MX$1,656

59.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$979 MX$18.1K

61.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 $1,279

$373 MX$6,887

243.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 $2,494

$1,681 MX$31.1K

48.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 $2,164

$1,095 MX$20.2K

97.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 $2,870

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-27.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,355 $2,355

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-61.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

11.45

-42.27%

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

Last update for Elizabeth City, NC: October 18, 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

Elizabeth City, NC

$1.3K 52.1%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 70.8% $906

Groceries & Markets

Elizabeth City, NC

$373 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 30.7% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elizabeth City, NC

$299 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 54.2% $162

Eating Out

Elizabeth City, NC

$264 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 24% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Elizabeth City, NC

$146 6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 23.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Elizabeth City, NC

$76 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 4.4% $3.3

Getting Around

Elizabeth City, NC

$20 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 161% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,584 in Elizabeth City, NC versus $979 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 $35.00 in Elizabeth City, NC versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $373 in Elizabeth City, NC vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elizabeth City, NC

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:44 9:44 PM

20:44 8:44 PM

1 h behind Elizabeth City, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,683

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Elizabeth City, NC Playa del Carmen 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Elizabeth City, NC
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

Elizabeth City, NC vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 104% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,685 per month in Elizabeth City, NC 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Elizabeth City, NC and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Elizabeth City, NC, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Elizabeth City, NC at $2,456. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Elizabeth City, NC 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Elizabeth City, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.