Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elizabethtown, KY and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,040 in Elizabethtown, KY, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Elizabethtown, KY
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Elizabethtown, KY Living Index
57

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

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Elizabethtown, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,040

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,040 in Elizabethtown, KY versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Elizabethtown, KY $2,040
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,929 in Elizabethtown, KY versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Elizabethtown, KY $2,929
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,819 in Elizabethtown, KY versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Elizabethtown, KY $3,819
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Elizabethtown, KY is roughly 70% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Elizabethtown, KY is 51% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.02 $15.02

$10.67 MX$199

40.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.4 $50.4

$43.80 MX$815

15.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 $9.24

$11.79 MX$219

-21.63%

Cappuccino

$4.81 $4.81

$3.79 MX$70.5

26.91%

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

$2.25 $2.25

$1.30 MX$24.14

73.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$0.83 MX$15.51

101.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.15 MX$58.6

61.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.69 $7.69

$4.93 MX$91.8

55.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.41 MX$26.22

-41.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.20 MX$40.86

1.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.47 MX$27.40

37.41%

Eggs

$2.73 $2.73

$2.50 MX$46.47

9.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.69 $12.69

$7.29 MX$136

74.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.98 $10.98

$7.95 MX$148

38.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.36 $16.36

$12.86 MX$239

27.22%

Apples (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$2.90 MX$53.9

91.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.38 MX$25.74

15.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.49 MX$46.36

73.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.03 MX$37.78

138.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.02 MX$37.69

25.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.90 MX$35.42

73.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.14 MX$21.30

77.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.24 MX$23.06

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.99 $5.99

$4.27 MX$79.5

40.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.03 $15.03

$9.81 MX$183

53.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.59 MX$29.51

32.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.75 MX$51.1

12.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 $3.82

$4.76 MX$88.6

-19.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$3.25 MX$60.5

-61.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.34 $25.34

$5.39 MX$100

370.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.53 MX$28.44

-47.06%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

73.03%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

8.08%

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

$153 $153

$83.5 MX$1,554

82.76%

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

$79.6 $79.6

$23.19 MX$431

243.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$27.61 MX$514

157.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$11.16 $11.16

$5.00 MX$93.1

123.20%

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

$1,333 $1,333

$207 MX$3,854

543.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.0K $25.0K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

377.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.09 $45.09

$43.45 MX$809

3.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 $40.55

$42.54 MX$792

-4.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 $85.9

$72.8 MX$1,354

18.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.9 $85.9

$88.4 MX$1,645

-2.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 $1,169

$995 MX$18.5K

17.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$964 $964

$382 MX$7,116

152.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 $1,944

$1,674 MX$31.2K

16.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,502 $1,502

$1,081 MX$20.1K

39.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,730 $1,730

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-55.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,785 $1,785

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-70.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,299 $3,299

$832 MX$15.5K

296.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

11.45

-40.26%

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

Last update for Elizabethtown, KY: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elizabethtown, KY

$964 47.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 60.3% $582

Groceries & Markets

Elizabethtown, KY

$362 17.7%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 28.8% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elizabethtown, KY

$303 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 55.7% $169

Eating Out

Elizabethtown, KY

$262 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 23.6% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Elizabethtown, KY

$116 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 4% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Elizabethtown, KY

$22 * 1.1%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 198% $44

Getting Around

Elizabethtown, KY

$10 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 399% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,169 in Elizabethtown, KY and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elizabethtown, KY pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Elizabethtown, KY vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $362 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elizabethtown, KY

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:09 7:09 PM

Same time as Elizabethtown, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,406

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Elizabethtown, KY Playa del Carmen 1,900 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Elizabethtown, KY
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

Elizabethtown, KY vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,040 in Elizabethtown, KY and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Elizabethtown, KY is about 4 times higher, 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: $1,169 in Elizabethtown, KY versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,333 in Elizabethtown, KY versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $50 in Elizabethtown, KY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,040 in Elizabethtown, KY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Elizabethtown, KY. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Elizabethtown, KY on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.