Cost of Living Comparison Between Elk and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Elk and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Elk is 16.2% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 8.9% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Elk is 8.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 12.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Elk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 zł 30.93
$11.85 MX$212
-29.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.99 zł 148
$42.16 MX$755
-5.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.76 zł 25.08
$10.75 MX$192
-37.12%
Cappuccino
$2.13 zł 7.91
$3.47 MX$62.2
-38.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 zł 7.66
$1.45 MX$26.01
42.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.11 zł 4.13
$0.90 MX$16.16
23.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.04 zł 14.99
$3.05 MX$54.7
32.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.10 zł 15.20
$4.42 MX$79.1
-7.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Elk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 zł 3.97
$1.37 MX$24.51
-21.90%
White Bread (500g)
$1.28 zł 4.77
$1.87 MX$33.51
-31.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 zł 6.67
$1.54 MX$27.63
16.88%
Eggs
$2.54 zł 9.42
$2.50 MX$44.81
1.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.80 zł 17.82
$8.61 MX$154
-44.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.76 zł 25.09
$8.63 MX$155
-21.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.15 zł 48.80
$11.02 MX$197
19.33%
Apples (1kg)
$1.09 zł 4.05
$2.75 MX$49.22
-60.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.89 zł 7.01
$1.43 MX$25.56
32.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.02 zł 7.50
$1.87 MX$33.52
8.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.90 zł 10.76
$2.17 MX$38.80
33.64%
Potato (1kg)
$0.89 zł 3.31
$1.88 MX$33.70
-52.66%
Onion (1kg)
$1.14 zł 4.23
$2.25 MX$40.21
-49.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.35 zł 5.00
$1.07 MX$19.11
26.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 zł 1.92
$1.07 MX$19.22
-51.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.34 zł 19.80
$4.15 MX$74.4
28.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.67 zł 28.47
$10.34 MX$185
-25.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 zł 4.28
$1.68 MX$30.06
-31.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 zł 5.11
$2.48 MX$44.46
-44.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Elk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 zł 4.14
$0.55 MX$9.93
103.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$32.65 zł 121
$26.53 MX$475
23.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.15 zł 7.97
$3.22 MX$57.6
-33.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.48 zł 1.76
$2.48 MX$44.42
-80.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.54 zł 50.2
$3.11 MX$55.7
335.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.69 zł 6.27
$1.26 MX$22.48
34.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.2K zł 119.6K
$30.7K MX$548.8K
5.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K zł 115.9K
$24.0K MX$430.3K
29.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Elk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$315 zł 1,168
$82.5 MX$1,476
281.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.61 zł 24.51
$22.29 MX$399
-70.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.52 zł 50.2
$30.02 MX$537
-54.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Elk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.12 zł 138
$51.4 MX$921
-27.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.76 zł 73.3
$18.29 MX$327
8.04%
Cinema Ticket
$6.60 zł 24.47
$4.98 MX$89.2
32.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Elk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$316 zł 1,173
$200 MX$3,580
58.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,453 zł 20.2K
$5,304 MX$94.9K
2.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Elk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.3 zł 309
$35.71 MX$639
133.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.20 zł 101
$39.56 MX$708
-31.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.0 zł 315
$80.6 MX$1,442
5.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.7 zł 318
$88.3 MX$1,581
-2.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Elk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$552 zł 2,048
$969 MX$17.4K
-43.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$461 zł 1,709
$482 MX$8,632
-4.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$939 zł 3,483
$1,595 MX$28.6K
-41.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$847 zł 3,143
$1,184 MX$21.2K
-28.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,368 zł 8,784
$4,050 MX$72.5K
-41.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,052 zł 7,613
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-68.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Elk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,308 zł 4,854
$756 MX$13.5K
72.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7
11.42
-38.70%

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

Last update for Elk: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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