Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elizabeth, NJ and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,186 in Elizabeth, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Elizabeth, NJ
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Elizabeth, NJ 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, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,186

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,186 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Elizabeth, NJ $3,186
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,453 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Elizabeth, NJ $4,453
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,720 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Elizabeth, NJ $5,720
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Elizabeth, NJ is roughly 165% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Elizabeth, NJ is 135% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.71 $19.71

$10.86 MX$201

81.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.4 $80.4

$44.21 MX$817

81.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 $11.89

$11.76 MX$217

1.11%

Cappuccino

$5.45 $5.45

$3.68 MX$68.0

48.10%

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

$2.43 $2.43

$1.34 MX$24.79

81.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.82 MX$15.24

81.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 $7.78

$3.06 MX$56.6

154.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$4.94 MX$91.2

44.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.47 MX$27.17

-13.61%

White Bread (500g)

$4.50 $4.50

$2.22 MX$40.95

102.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$1.48 MX$27.32

302.70%

Eggs

$6.52 $6.52

$2.49 MX$45.99

161.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.31 $15.31

$7.52 MX$139

103.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.83 $11.83

$7.96 MX$147

48.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.73 $19.73

$12.57 MX$232

56.96%

Apples (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$2.78 MX$51.3

114.03%

Banana (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.43 MX$26.37

148.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.62 MX$48.37

60.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$2.14 MX$39.49

153.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.02 MX$37.38

48.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.99 MX$36.74

48.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.14 MX$21.01

163.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.20 MX$22.18

110.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.62 $14.62

$4.26 MX$78.7

243.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.29 $15.29

$10.02 MX$185

52.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.54 MX$28.41

75.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.66 MX$49.17

28.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 $2.88

$0.53 MX$9.73

443.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 $76.0

$27.51 MX$508

176.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$4.90 MX$90.6

-40.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 $2.11

$3.43 MX$63.5

-38.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.39 $42.39

$5.38 MX$99.4

687.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.45 MX$26.76

-24.83%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

32.06%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

14.24%

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

$247 $247

$85.4 MX$1,577

189.80%

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

$51.0 $51.0

$23.46 MX$434

117.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 $50.1

$28.43 MX$525

76.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.78 $24.78

$62.2 MX$1,149

-60.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$20.03 $20.03

$5.10 MX$94.3

292.75%

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

$2,012 $2,012

$201 MX$3,715

900.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

309.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.63 $49.63

$44.39 MX$820

11.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.6 $77.6

$41.35 MX$764

87.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 $87.9

$72.7 MX$1,344

20.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$89.6 MX$1,656

35.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,181 $2,181

$979 MX$18.1K

122.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 $1,718

$373 MX$6,887

360.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,668 $2,668

$1,681 MX$31.1K

58.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,492 $2,492

$1,095 MX$20.2K

127.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,297 $1,297

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-67.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 $1,143

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-81.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,997 $3,997

$738 MX$13.6K

441.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

11.45

-41.75%

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

Last update for Elizabeth, NJ: 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, NJ

$1.7K 53.9%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 78.3% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Elizabeth, NJ

$475 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 45.6% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elizabeth, NJ

$348 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 60.6% $211

Eating Out

Elizabeth, NJ

$328 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 38.9% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Elizabeth, NJ

$152 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 26.3% $40

Getting Around

Elizabeth, NJ

$101 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 48.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Elizabeth, NJ

$65 2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 11.7% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,181 in Elizabeth, NJ and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elizabeth, NJ pays 442% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $80.0 in Elizabeth, NJ vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $475 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elizabeth, NJ

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

02:37 2:37 AM

1 h behind Elizabeth, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,179

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 →

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Elizabeth, NJ Playa del Carmen 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Elizabeth, NJ and Playa del Carmen differ by about 165% in total monthly costs ($3,186 vs $1,204 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 442% higher in Elizabeth, NJ, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,181 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,012 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 84% higher in Elizabeth, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,186 in Elizabeth, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Elizabeth, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 165% less than in Elizabeth, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.