Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Islip, NY and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Islip, NY and in Playa del Carmen: $1,259 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Islip, NY
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Islip, NY Living Index
58

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

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Islip, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,259

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,259 in Islip, NY versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Islip, NY $1,259
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,207 in Islip, NY versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Islip, NY $2,207
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Islip, NY versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Islip, NY $3,154
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Islip, NY is roughly 5% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Islip, NY 7% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.10 $26.10

$10.92 MX$204

139.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$43.37 MX$808

181.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.05 $14.05

$11.78 MX$220

19.27%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$3.81 MX$71.0

34.91%

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

$2.85 $2.85

$1.28 MX$23.90

122.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.78 MX$14.59

192.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$3.17 MX$59.0

145.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 $10.17

$4.93 MX$92.0

106.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.41 MX$26.22

-1.42%

White Bread (500g)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.22 MX$41.33

104.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.42 MX$26.42

185.21%

Eggs

$5.02 $5.02

$2.52 MX$47.03

99.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$7.26 MX$135

157.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.41 $17.41

$7.70 MX$143

126.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 $16.45

$12.69 MX$237

29.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.78 MX$51.9

60.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.37 MX$25.50

-5.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.55 MX$47.55

-14.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.12 MX$39.58

37.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.94 MX$36.13

-8.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.89 MX$35.16

14.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.15 MX$21.37

33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.18 MX$21.98

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.94 $14.94

$4.30 MX$80.1

247.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.96 $12.96

$9.95 MX$185

30.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.58 MX$29.52

48.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.67 MX$49.79

40.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 $4.37

$0.55 MX$10.31

694.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$4.97 MX$92.6

-40.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$3.33 MX$62.1

-33.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.26 $41.26

$5.36 MX$99.8

669.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.44 MX$26.92

-18.75%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

35.22%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

13.64%

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

$80.2 $80.2

$84.8 MX$1,581

-5.46%

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

$71.2 $71.2

$23.41 MX$436

203.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.8 $69.8

$28.66 MX$534

143.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 $59.6

$57.1 MX$1,063

4.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$15.83 $15.83

$5.14 MX$95.8

207.98%

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

$3,537 $3,537

$207 MX$3,851

1612.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.6K $61.6K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

1468.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 $44.55

$43.35 MX$808

2.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.92 $27.92

$41.44 MX$772

-32.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 $75.0

$74.2 MX$1,383

1.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 $91.4

$89.3 MX$1,664

2.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 $1,989

$980 MX$18.3K

103.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,382 $3,382

$1,708 MX$31.8K

98.01%

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)

$3,975 $3,975

$735 MX$13.7K

441.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

11.45

-42.10%

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

Last update for Islip, NY: October 26, 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

Islip, NY

$416 33%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 38.7% $161

Eating Out

Islip, NY

$392 31.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 48.4% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Islip, NY

$221 17.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 38.1% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Islip, NY

$107 8.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 3.9% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Islip, NY

$91 7.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 26.2% $24

Getting Around

Islip, NY

$31 * 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 60.4% $19

Accommodation & Living

Islip, NY

- * 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 one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,989 in Islip, NY and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Islip, NY pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $122 in Islip, NY vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $416 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Islip, NY

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

08:20 8:20 AM

1 h behind Islip, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

339,938

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 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 = 0.899 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Islip, NY Playa del Carmen 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Islip, NY
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

Islip, NY vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Islip, NY is about 5.4 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: $1,989 in Islip, NY versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,537 in Islip, NY 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 $43 versus $122 in Islip, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen 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.

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