Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Green Island and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Green Island: $1,009 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Green Island
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Green Island Living Index
58

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

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Green Island

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,009

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,009 in Green Island versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Green Island $1,009
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,670 in Green Island versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Green Island $1,670
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,332 in Green Island versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Green Island $2,332
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Green Island costs roughly 16% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Green Island 26% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.69 JMD 2,159

$10.92 MX$204

25.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 JMD 12.0K

$43.37 MX$808

75.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 JMD 1,273

$11.78 MX$220

-31.49%

Cappuccino

$5.33 JMD 840

$3.81 MX$71.0

39.90%

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

$1.20 JMD 190

$1.28 MX$23.90

-6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$0.78 MX$14.59

-5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 JMD 342

$3.17 MX$59.0

-31.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 JMD 482

$4.93 MX$92.0

-37.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.10 JMD 646

$1.41 MX$26.22

190.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.70 JMD 584

$2.22 MX$41.33

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 JMD 255

$1.42 MX$26.42

14.08%

Eggs

$3.47 JMD 547

$2.52 MX$47.03

37.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 JMD 1,806

$7.26 MX$135

57.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 JMD 1,000

$7.70 MX$143

-17.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 JMD 1,640

$12.69 MX$237

-18.05%

Apples (1kg)

$6.09 JMD 960

$2.78 MX$51.9

119.06%

Banana (1kg)

$3.92 JMD 618

$1.37 MX$25.50

186.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.21 JMD 1,137

$2.55 MX$47.55

182.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.12 JMD 492

$2.12 MX$39.58

47.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 JMD 500

$1.94 MX$36.13

63.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 JMD 426

$1.89 MX$35.16

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 489

$1.15 MX$21.37

169.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 JMD 238

$1.18 MX$21.98

27.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.22 JMD 1,454

$4.30 MX$80.1

114.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.28 JMD 1,779

$9.95 MX$185

13.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 JMD 441

$1.58 MX$29.52

77.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 JMD 644

$2.67 MX$49.79

53.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 JMD 196

$4.97 MX$92.6

-75.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.12 JMD 492

$3.33 MX$62.1

-6.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 JMD 971

$5.36 MX$99.8

14.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 JMD 232

$1.44 MX$26.92

2.08%

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

$43.5K JMD 6.9M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

110.36%

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

$33.4K JMD 5.3M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

42.14%

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

$170 JMD 26.7K

$84.8 MX$1,581

99.92%

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

$29.28 JMD 4,618

$23.41 MX$436

25.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 JMD 8,368

$28.66 MX$534

85.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$13.48 JMD 2,126

$5.14 MX$95.8

162.26%

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

$355 JMD 55.9K

$207 MX$3,851

71.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,242 JMD 1.3M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

109.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.02 JMD 3,788

$43.35 MX$808

-44.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.52 JMD 4,970

$41.44 MX$772

-23.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

$74.2 MX$1,383

6.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 JMD 16.2K

$89.3 MX$1,664

14.91%

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 Green Island: October 24, 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

Green Island

$384 38.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 33.7% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Green Island

$252 25%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 45.7% $115

Eating Out

Green Island

$222 22.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Green Island

$107 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 4.8% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Green Island

$27 * 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 150% $40

Getting Around

Green Island

$17 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 200% $34

Accommodation & Living

Green Island

- * 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

Dining out: $76 in Green Island vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Green Island

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

Same time as Green Island

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,546

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

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Between locations

Green Island Playa del Carmen 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Green Island
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

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

Green Island and Playa del Carmen differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,009 vs $1,204 including rent). Green Island is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,513 in Green Island and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 34% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,009 per month in Green Island versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Green Island gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.