Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jacksonville, FL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,487 in Jacksonville, FL, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Jacksonville, FL
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Jacksonville, FL Living Index
58

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

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Jacksonville, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,487

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,487 per month in Jacksonville, FL vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Jacksonville, FL $2,487
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,787 per month in Jacksonville, FL vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Jacksonville, FL $3,787
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,087 per month in Jacksonville, FL vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Jacksonville, FL $5,087
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Jacksonville, FL costs about 106% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Jacksonville, FL sits 83% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.69 $19.69

$10.92 MX$205

80.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$43.37 MX$813

134.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 $11.37

$11.78 MX$221

-3.48%

Cappuccino

$5.58 $5.58

$3.81 MX$71.4

46.46%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$1.28 MX$24.03

142.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.78 MX$14.67

179.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.17 MX$59.3

57.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 $7.19

$4.93 MX$92.5

45.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.41 MX$26.35

-29.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.22 MX$41.54

50.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$1.42 MX$26.56

162.68%

Eggs

$4.40 $4.40

$2.52 MX$47.27

74.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.72 $13.72

$7.26 MX$136

88.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 $9.57

$7.70 MX$144

24.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.24 $16.24

$12.69 MX$238

27.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.78 MX$52.2

73.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.37 MX$25.64

3.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.55 MX$47.80

55.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.12 MX$39.78

113.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.94 MX$36.32

51.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.89 MX$35.34

61.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.15 MX$21.49

132.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.18 MX$22.09

111.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.34 $9.34

$4.30 MX$80.5

117.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.63 $14.63

$9.95 MX$186

47.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.58 MX$29.67

29.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.67 MX$50.1

20.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.55 MX$10.37

221.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.5 $64.5

$26.62 MX$499

142.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 $1.51

$4.97 MX$93.1

-69.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 $1.17

$3.33 MX$62.4

-64.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.75 $13.75

$5.36 MX$100

156.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.44 MX$27.06

-27.78%

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

$31.3K $31.3K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

51.58%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

11.19%

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

$218 $218

$84.8 MX$1,589

156.96%

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

$64.4 $64.4

$23.41 MX$439

175.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.2 $68.2

$28.66 MX$537

137.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.02 $35.02

$57.1 MX$1,069

-38.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 $6.49

$28.91 MX$542

-77.55%

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$5.14 MX$96.3

187.16%

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

$1,318 $1,318

$207 MX$3,871

537.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K $12.0K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

205.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 $64.1

$43.35 MX$812

47.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.85 $47.85

$41.44 MX$777

15.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$74.2 MX$1,390

50.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 $151

$89.3 MX$1,672

69.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,651 $1,651

$980 MX$18.4K

68.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,118 $1,118

$381 MX$7,136

193.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,590 $2,590

$1,708 MX$32.0K

51.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 $1,963

$1,075 MX$20.1K

82.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,356 $2,356

$3,943 MX$73.9K

-40.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,066 $2,066

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-66.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,010 $4,010

$735 MX$13.8K

445.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

11.45

-41.57%

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

Last update for Jacksonville, FL: 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

Jacksonville, FL

$1.1K 45%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 65.9% $737

Groceries & Markets

Jacksonville, FL

$386 15.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 34.1% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jacksonville, FL

$350 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 61% $214

Eating Out

Jacksonville, FL

$319 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 36.6% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Jacksonville, FL

$169 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 33.8% $57

Getting Around

Jacksonville, FL

$79 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 36.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Jacksonville, FL

$65 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 4.3% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,651 in Jacksonville, FL 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 Jacksonville, FL are about 5.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Jacksonville, FL 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

🇺🇸 Jacksonville, FL

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:45 7:45 AM

Same time as Jacksonville, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

949,611

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jacksonville, FL Playa del Carmen 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Jacksonville, FL
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

Jacksonville, FL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jacksonville, FL costs about 106% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,730 per month in Jacksonville, FL 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 $1,651 in Jacksonville, FL.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Jacksonville, FL 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 $2,487 in Jacksonville, FL and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 52% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Jacksonville, FL at $2,487. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jacksonville, FL 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, Jacksonville, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.