Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,893 in Ithaca, NY, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Ithaca, NY
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Ithaca, 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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Ithaca, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,893

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,893 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $2,893
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,843 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $3,843
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,792 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $4,792
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Ithaca, NY costs about 140% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ithaca, NY sits 113% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.77 $22.77

$10.92 MX$203

108.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$43.37 MX$808

82.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 $10.83

$11.78 MX$219

-8.06%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$3.81 MX$71.0

33.60%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.28 MX$23.89

105.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.78 MX$14.58

161.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.17 MX$59.0

59.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.39 $9.39

$4.93 MX$91.9

90.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.41 MX$26.20

-27.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.22 MX$41.30

44.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$1.42 MX$26.40

399.30%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$2.52 MX$47.00

57.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.66 $14.66

$7.26 MX$135

101.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$7.70 MX$143

-15.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.45 $15.45

$12.69 MX$236

21.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$2.78 MX$51.9

74.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.37 MX$25.49

22.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.55 MX$47.52

113.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.12 MX$39.55

127.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.94 MX$36.11

62.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.89 MX$35.13

96.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.15 MX$21.36

99.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.18 MX$21.96

74.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.69 $14.69

$4.30 MX$80.0

241.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 $14.20

$9.95 MX$185

42.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.58 MX$29.50

17.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.67 MX$49.76

49.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.55 MX$10.31

180.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.49 $45.49

$26.62 MX$496

70.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 $4.98

$4.97 MX$92.6

0.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$3.33 MX$62.1

-57.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.46 $29.46

$5.36 MX$99.8

449.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.44 MX$26.90

-26.39%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

31.38%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

13.39%

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

$167 $167

$84.8 MX$1,580

97.08%

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

$46.41 $46.41

$23.41 MX$436

98.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 $50.5

$28.66 MX$534

76.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.65 $34.65

$57.1 MX$1,063

-39.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$10.82 $10.82

$5.14 MX$95.7

110.51%

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

$1,518 $1,518

$207 MX$3,848

634.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K $16.9K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

330.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.25 $47.25

$43.35 MX$808

9.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.06 $39.06

$41.44 MX$772

-5.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 $81.2

$74.2 MX$1,382

9.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$89.3 MX$1,663

19.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 $2,256

$980 MX$18.2K

130.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,661 $1,661

$381 MX$7,095

336.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,044 $3,044

$1,708 MX$31.8K

78.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,997 $1,997

$1,075 MX$20.0K

85.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 $2,681

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-32.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,035 $2,035

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-66.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,468 $3,468

$735 MX$13.7K

372.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

11.45

-43.58%

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

Last update for Ithaca, 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.

Accommodation & Living

Ithaca, NY

$1.7K 57.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 77.1% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Ithaca, NY

$386 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 34% $131

Eating Out

Ithaca, NY

$339 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 40.2% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ithaca, NY

$264 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 48.2% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Ithaca, NY

$124 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 9.6% $12

Getting Around

Ithaca, NY

$64 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 20.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ithaca, NY

$56 2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 19.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,256 in Ithaca, NY 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.

Salaries in Ithaca, NY are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Ithaca, NY versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ithaca, NY

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

03:19 3:19 AM

1 h behind Ithaca, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,283

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ithaca, NY Playa del Carmen 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ithaca, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,893 in Ithaca, NY, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 58% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,340 per month in Ithaca, NY 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 $2,256 in Ithaca, NY.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Ithaca, NY and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,893 in Ithaca, NY and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 58% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Ithaca, NY at $2,893. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ithaca, NY 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.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ithaca, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.