Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Falmouth, Jamaica and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Falmouth: $1,007 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Falmouth
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Falmouth Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Falmouth

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,007

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,007 per month in Falmouth vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Falmouth $1,007
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,663 per month in Falmouth vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Falmouth $1,663
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,320 per month in Falmouth vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Falmouth $2,320
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Falmouth is about 16% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Falmouth and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Falmouth 26% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.50 JMD 2,128

$10.92 MX$204

23.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.9 JMD 11.8K

$43.37 MX$808

72.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 JMD 1,279

$11.78 MX$220

-31.15%

Cappuccino

$5.33 JMD 840

$3.81 MX$71.0

39.90%

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

$1.20 JMD 189

$1.28 MX$23.90

-6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 JMD 118

$0.78 MX$14.59

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 JMD 344

$3.17 MX$59.0

-31.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 JMD 512

$4.93 MX$92.0

-34.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.11 JMD 648

$1.41 MX$26.22

191.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.85 JMD 608

$2.22 MX$41.33

73.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 JMD 255

$1.42 MX$26.42

14.08%

Eggs

$3.43 JMD 542

$2.52 MX$47.03

36.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 JMD 1,771

$7.26 MX$135

54.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 JMD 966

$7.70 MX$143

-20.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 JMD 1,591

$12.69 MX$237

-20.49%

Apples (1kg)

$6.15 JMD 970

$2.78 MX$51.9

121.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.94 JMD 621

$1.37 MX$25.50

187.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.31 JMD 1,152

$2.55 MX$47.55

186.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 JMD 490

$2.12 MX$39.58

46.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 JMD 508

$1.94 MX$36.13

65.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 JMD 412

$1.89 MX$35.16

38.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 JMD 474

$1.15 MX$21.37

161.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 JMD 237

$1.18 MX$21.98

27.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.62 JMD 1,518

$4.30 MX$80.1

123.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 JMD 1,781

$9.95 MX$185

13.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 JMD 448

$1.58 MX$29.52

79.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 JMD 625

$2.67 MX$49.79

48.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 JMD 194

$4.97 MX$92.6

-75.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 JMD 503

$3.33 MX$62.1

-4.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.45 JMD 1,017

$5.36 MX$99.8

20.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 224

$1.44 MX$26.92

-1.39%

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

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

113.32%

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

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

41.01%

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

$171 JMD 27.0K

$84.8 MX$1,581

101.93%

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

$28.94 JMD 4,564

$23.41 MX$436

23.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 JMD 8,310

$28.66 MX$534

83.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$13.10 JMD 2,066

$5.14 MX$95.8

154.86%

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

$356 JMD 56.1K

$207 MX$3,851

72.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,286 JMD 1.3M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

110.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.45 JMD 3,698

$43.35 MX$808

-45.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.31 JMD 4,938

$41.44 MX$772

-24.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 JMD 12.2K

$74.2 MX$1,383

4.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.3K

$89.3 MX$1,664

16.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

11.45

-17.47%

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

Last update for Falmouth: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Falmouth

$383 38.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 33.5% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Falmouth

$253 25.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 45.9% $116

Eating Out

Falmouth

$221 22%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 8.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Falmouth

$106 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 5.4% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Falmouth

$26 * 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 157% $41

Getting Around

Falmouth

$17 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 194% $33

Accommodation & Living

Falmouth

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Falmouth versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Falmouth

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

Same time as Falmouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,779

149,923

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 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).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Falmouth Playa del Carmen 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Falmouth
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

Falmouth vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 20% more than Falmouth, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,510 per month in Falmouth and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Falmouth and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 34% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,007 in Falmouth and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,007 in Falmouth to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.