Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grand Island, NE and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,648 in Grand Island, NE, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Grand Island, NE
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Grand Island, NE Living Index
58

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

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Grand Island, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,648

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,648 per month in Grand Island, NE vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Grand Island, NE $2,648
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,864 per month in Grand Island, NE vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Grand Island, NE $3,864
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,079 per month in Grand Island, NE vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Grand Island, NE $5,079
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Grand Island, NE costs about 120% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Grand Island, NE sits 95% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.03 $19.03

$10.92 MX$204

74.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.7 $75.7

$43.37 MX$808

74.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 $10.84

$11.78 MX$220

-7.98%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$3.81 MX$71.0

35.70%

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

$2.57 $2.57

$1.28 MX$23.90

100.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.78 MX$14.59

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 $6.06

$3.17 MX$59.0

91.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$4.93 MX$92.0

43.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.41 MX$26.22

-29.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.22 MX$41.33

60.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$1.42 MX$26.42

198.59%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$2.52 MX$47.03

62.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.27 $12.27

$7.26 MX$135

69.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 $11.38

$7.70 MX$143

47.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.24 $15.24

$12.69 MX$237

20.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.78 MX$51.9

73.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.37 MX$25.50

16.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.55 MX$47.55

68.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.12 MX$39.58

120.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.94 MX$36.13

49.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.89 MX$35.16

47.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.15 MX$21.37

73.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.18 MX$21.98

83.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.43 $9.43

$4.30 MX$80.1

119.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.26 $14.26

$9.95 MX$185

43.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.58 MX$29.52

17.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.67 MX$49.79

28.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.55 MX$10.31

269.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 $53.9

$26.62 MX$496

102.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$4.97 MX$92.6

-30.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$3.33 MX$62.1

-50.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.32 $29.32

$5.36 MX$99.8

447.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.44 MX$26.92

-38.19%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

43.91%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

9.45%

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

$184 $184

$84.8 MX$1,581

116.96%

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

$52.8 $52.8

$23.41 MX$436

125.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.8 $66.8

$28.66 MX$534

133.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.25 $43.25

$57.1 MX$1,063

-24.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$13.37 $13.37

$5.14 MX$95.8

160.12%

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

$1,290 $1,290

$207 MX$3,851

524.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

507.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.0 $50.0

$43.35 MX$808

15.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 $39.99

$41.44 MX$772

-3.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 $86.7

$74.2 MX$1,383

16.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$89.3 MX$1,664

25.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 $1,600

$980 MX$18.3K

63.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,376 $1,376

$381 MX$7,099

261.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,667 $2,667

$1,708 MX$31.8K

56.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 $2,256

$1,075 MX$20.0K

109.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,768 $2,768

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-29.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,469 $2,469

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-59.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.45

-43.14%

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

Last update for Grand Island, NE: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grand Island, NE

$1.4K 52%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 72.3% $996

Groceries & Markets

Grand Island, NE

$385 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 33.9% $131

Eating Out

Grand Island, NE

$309 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 34.6% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grand Island, NE

$304 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 54.9% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Grand Island, NE

$130 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 14.1% $18

Getting Around

Grand Island, NE

$74 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 31.6% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Grand Island, NE

$70 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 3.8% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Grand Island, NE versus $980 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 $76 in Grand Island, NE versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Grand Island, NE

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

Same time as Grand Island, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,632

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 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).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Grand Island, NE Playa del Carmen 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Grand Island, NE
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

Grand Island, NE vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Grand Island, NE is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,973 per month in Grand Island, NE 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,600 in Grand Island, NE.

Public transport costs about 51% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,290 per month in Grand Island, NE and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Grand Island, NE at $2,648. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Grand Island, NE it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.