Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Jacksonville, NC
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Jacksonville, NC 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, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,554

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Jacksonville, NC $2,554
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,595 in Jacksonville, NC versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Jacksonville, NC $3,595
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,637 in Jacksonville, NC versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Jacksonville, NC $4,637
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Jacksonville, NC is roughly 112% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Jacksonville, NC is 88% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.57 $15.57

$10.92 MX$204

42.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.9 $58.9

$43.37 MX$808

35.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 $9.89

$11.78 MX$220

-16.04%

Cappuccino

$4.81 $4.81

$3.81 MX$71.0

26.25%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$1.28 MX$23.90

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.78 MX$14.59

152.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.94 $4.94

$3.17 MX$59.0

55.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 $7.06

$4.93 MX$92.0

43.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.41 MX$26.22

-17.02%

White Bread (500g)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.22 MX$41.33

89.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$11.08 $11.08

$1.42 MX$26.42

680.28%

Eggs

$6.04 $6.04

$2.52 MX$47.03

139.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.50 $19.50

$7.26 MX$135

168.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.09 $17.09

$7.70 MX$143

121.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.53 $24.53

$12.69 MX$237

93.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$2.78 MX$51.9

111.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.37 MX$25.50

35.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.23 $8.23

$2.55 MX$47.55

222.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.12 MX$39.58

191.04%

Potato (1kg)

$6.88 $6.88

$1.94 MX$36.13

254.64%

Onion (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$1.89 MX$35.16

111.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.15 MX$21.37

140.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.18 MX$21.98

72.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.96 $8.96

$4.30 MX$80.1

108.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$9.95 MX$185

50.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.58 MX$29.52

11.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.67 MX$49.79

48.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.55 MX$10.31

178.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.4 $90.4

$26.62 MX$496

239.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$4.97 MX$92.6

-48.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.44 MX$26.92

-36.81%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

32.47%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

9.53%

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

$174 $174

$84.8 MX$1,581

105.19%

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

$76.0 $76.0

$23.41 MX$436

224.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$28.66 MX$534

148.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.20 $31.20

$57.1 MX$1,063

-45.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.71 $1.71

$28.91 MX$539

-94.09%

Cinema Ticket

$15.59 $15.59

$5.14 MX$95.8

203.31%

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

$796 $796

$207 MX$3,851

285.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 $60.9

$43.35 MX$808

40.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 $39.56

$41.44 MX$772

-4.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$74.2 MX$1,383

38.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$89.3 MX$1,664

55.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 $1,384

$980 MX$18.3K

41.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 $1,094

$381 MX$7,099

187.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 $1,809

$1,708 MX$31.8K

5.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 $1,451

$1,075 MX$20.0K

35.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,049 $2,049

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-48.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 $1,833

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-70.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,208 $2,208

$735 MX$13.7K

200.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

11.45

-44.37%

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

Last update for Jacksonville, NC: October 25, 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, NC

$1.1K 42.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 65.2% $713

Groceries & Markets

Jacksonville, NC

$555 21.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 54.1% $300

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jacksonville, NC

$321 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 57.4% $184

Eating Out

Jacksonville, NC

$269 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 24.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Jacksonville, NC

$154 6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.4% $42

Getting Around

Jacksonville, NC

$99 * 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 49.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Jacksonville, NC

$62 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 7.9% $4.9

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 $1,384 in Jacksonville, NC and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jacksonville, NC pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $59 in Jacksonville, NC vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $555 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jacksonville, NC

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

17:09 5:09 PM

1 h behind Jacksonville, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

949,611

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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Jacksonville, NC Playa del Carmen 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 53% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Jacksonville, NC is about 3 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: $1,384 in Jacksonville, NC versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 71% less than in Jacksonville, NC. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $796 in Jacksonville, NC versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Jacksonville, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Jacksonville, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.