Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Worth, FL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,542 in Lake Worth, FL, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Lake Worth, FL
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Lake Worth, 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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Lake Worth, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,542

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,542 in Lake Worth, FL versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Lake Worth, FL $2,542
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,794 in Lake Worth, FL versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Lake Worth, FL $3,794
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,045 in Lake Worth, FL versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Lake Worth, FL $5,045
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Lake Worth, FL is roughly 111% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lake Worth, FL is 87% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.04 $25.04

$10.92 MX$205

129.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 $75.5

$43.37 MX$814

74.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$11.78 MX$221

-14.43%

Cappuccino

$4.97 $4.97

$3.81 MX$71.5

30.45%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$1.28 MX$24.07

96.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$0.78 MX$14.70

141.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.30 $5.30

$3.17 MX$59.5

67.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.67 $7.67

$4.93 MX$92.7

55.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.41 MX$26.40

-39.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.22 MX$41.62

40.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.42 MX$26.61

114.79%

Eggs

$4.51 $4.51

$2.52 MX$47.36

78.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.34 $13.34

$7.26 MX$136

83.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.08 $11.08

$7.70 MX$144

43.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 $14.69

$12.69 MX$238

15.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$2.78 MX$52.3

68.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.37 MX$25.68

15.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.55 MX$47.89

16.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$2.12 MX$39.86

158.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.94 MX$36.39

54.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.89 MX$35.41

74.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.15 MX$21.53

93.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.18 MX$22.13

107.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.14 $9.14

$4.30 MX$80.6

112.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.76 $12.76

$9.95 MX$187

28.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.58 MX$29.73

12.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.67 MX$50.1

22.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.55 MX$10.39

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.4 $52.4

$26.62 MX$500

96.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$4.97 MX$93.3

-38.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$3.33 MX$62.5

-44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.95 $32.95

$5.36 MX$101

514.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.44 MX$27.11

-31.25%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

37.35%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

13.08%

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

$173 $173

$84.8 MX$1,592

103.47%

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

$57.8 $57.8

$23.41 MX$439

146.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.4 $76.4

$28.66 MX$538

166.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.43 $35.43

$57.1 MX$1,071

-37.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$10.17 $10.17

$5.14 MX$96.5

97.86%

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

$900 $900

$207 MX$3,878

335.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K $20.8K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

429.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.5 $65.5

$43.35 MX$814

51.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 $41.51

$41.44 MX$778

0.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$74.2 MX$1,393

58.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$89.3 MX$1,676

12.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,633 $1,633

$980 MX$18.4K

66.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 $1,234

$381 MX$7,150

224.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,425 $2,425

$1,708 MX$32.1K

41.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 $2,128

$1,075 MX$20.2K

97.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,638 $2,638

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-33.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,528 $2,528

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-58.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,572 $7,572

$735 MX$13.8K

930.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

11.45

-42.71%

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

Last update for Lake Worth, FL: 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

Lake Worth, FL

$1.2K 48.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 69.1% $853

Groceries & Markets

Lake Worth, FL

$377 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 32.4% $122

Eating Out

Lake Worth, FL

$350 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 42.1% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lake Worth, FL

$307 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 55.4% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Lake Worth, FL

$146 5.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 23.7% $35

Getting Around

Lake Worth, FL

$73 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 31.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lake Worth, FL

$56 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 20.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,633 in Lake Worth, FL and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lake Worth, FL pays about 10 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $76 in Lake Worth, FL vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $377 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lake Worth, FL

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

Same time as Lake Worth, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,000

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lake Worth, FL Playa del Carmen 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lake Worth, 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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 53% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Lake Worth, FL is about 10 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: $1,633 in Lake Worth, FL versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,542 per month in Lake Worth, FL versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 53% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 49% less than in Lake Worth, FL. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,542 in Lake Worth, FL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lake Worth, FL. 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 Lake Worth, FL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.