Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jolly Harbour and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,275 in Jolly Harbour, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Jolly Harbour, Antigua and Barbuda
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Jolly Harbour
🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda
$1,275
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,275 per month in Jolly Harbour vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Jolly Harbour $1,275
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,883 per month in Jolly Harbour vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Jolly Harbour $1,883
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,492 per month in Jolly Harbour vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Jolly Harbour $2,492
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Jolly Harbour costs about 6% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Jolly Harbour and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Jolly Harbour 6% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Jolly Harbour
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.17 EC$24.75
$10.67 MX$198
-14.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.5 EC$198
$43.80 MX$813
67.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.22 EC$19.49
$11.79 MX$219
-38.76%
Cappuccino
$5.62 EC$15.17
$3.79 MX$70.3
48.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 EC$6.14
$1.30 MX$24.09
74.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 EC$3.07
$0.83 MX$15.48
37.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.69 EC$15.37
$3.15 MX$58.4
80.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.54 EC$12.26
$4.93 MX$91.6
-7.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Jolly Harbour
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
-
$1.41 MX$26.16
-
White Bread (500g)
$2.92 EC$7.89
$2.20 MX$40.77
32.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.62 EC$15.18
$1.47 MX$27.35
282.31%
Eggs
$8.06 EC$21.77
$2.50 MX$46.37
222.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.46 EC$14.73
$7.29 MX$135
-25.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.37 EC$17.21
$7.95 MX$148
-19.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.70 EC$45.10
$12.86 MX$239
29.86%
Apples (1kg)
$5.39 EC$14.56
$2.90 MX$53.8
85.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.83 EC$4.94
$1.38 MX$25.69
32.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.95 EC$7.96
$2.49 MX$46.26
18.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.41 EC$14.61
$2.03 MX$37.70
166.50%
Potato (1kg)
$5.57 EC$15.03
$2.02 MX$37.61
175.74%
Onion (1kg)
-
$1.90 MX$35.35
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$6.35 EC$17.14
$1.14 MX$21.25
457.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.24 MX$23.01
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$4.27 MX$79.3
-
Wine (Bottle)
$12.79 EC$34.54
$9.81 MX$182
30.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 EC$3.58
$1.59 MX$29.45
-16.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 EC$5.04
$2.75 MX$51.0
-32.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Jolly Harbour
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.80 EC$4.86
$0.51 MX$9.56
252.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.39 MX$509
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$4.76 MX$88.4
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$5.63 EC$15.19
$3.25 MX$60.3
73.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$5.39 MX$100
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.73 EC$1.97
$1.53 MX$28.38
-52.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$21.2K MX$393.9K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$23.3K MX$432.0K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jolly Harbour
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$515 EC$1,390
$83.5 MX$1,550
516.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
-
$23.19 MX$431
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.3 EC$182
$27.61 MX$513
143.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Jolly Harbour
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$73.1 EC$197
$56.4 MX$1,048
29.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$56.0 EC$151
$28.19 MX$524
98.72%
Cinema Ticket
$16.58 EC$44.76
$5.00 MX$92.9
231.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Jolly Harbour
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$207 MX$3,846
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,231 MX$97.1K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Jolly Harbour
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$43.45 MX$807
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$42.54 MX$790
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$72.8 MX$1,351
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$88.4 MX$1,641
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Jolly Harbour
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$995 MX$18.5K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$382 MX$7,102
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,674 MX$31.1K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,081 MX$20.1K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,909 MX$72.6K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,138 MX$114.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Jolly Harbour
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$832 MX$15.5K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6
11.45
-47.60%

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

Last update for Jolly Harbour: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Jolly Harbour
–
Playa del Carmen
$382
Groceries & Markets
Jolly Harbour
–
Playa del Carmen
$257
Eating Out
Jolly Harbour
–
Playa del Carmen
$200
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jolly Harbour
–
Playa del Carmen
$134
Clothing & Footwear
Jolly Harbour
–
Playa del Carmen
$111
Sport & Entertainment
Jolly Harbour
–
Playa del Carmen
$66
Getting Around
Jolly Harbour
–
Playa del Carmen
$50

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Jolly Harbour versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇬 Jolly Harbour
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
10:03 10:03 AM
09:03 9:03 AM
1 h behind Jolly Harbour
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,000
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.02 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Jolly Harbour Playa del Carmen 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Jolly Harbour
  • 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
Jolly Harbour vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Jolly Harbour or Playa del Carmen?
Jolly Harbour costs about 6% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Jolly Harbour and in Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,912 per month in Jolly Harbour and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does it cost to live in Jolly Harbour compared to Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,275 in Jolly Harbour and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 6% cheaper.
Are groceries more expensive in Jolly Harbour or in Playa del Carmen?
Groceries cost about 31% more in Jolly Harbour, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Jolly Harbour or in Playa del Carmen?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,275 in Jolly Harbour and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Jolly Harbour or Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,275 in Jolly Harbour. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Jolly Harbour vs other spots: cost of living compared

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