Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lewiston, ID and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,119 in Lewiston, ID, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Lewiston, ID
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Lewiston, ID Living Index
59

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

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Lewiston, ID

🇺🇸 United States

$2,119

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,119 in Lewiston, ID versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Lewiston, ID $2,119
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,195 in Lewiston, ID versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Lewiston, ID $3,195
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,270 in Lewiston, ID versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Lewiston, ID $4,270
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Lewiston, ID is roughly 76% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lewiston, ID is 56% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.87 $19.87

$10.86 MX$201

82.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.6 $58.6

$44.21 MX$817

32.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.09 $13.09

$11.76 MX$217

11.31%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$3.68 MX$68.0

62.50%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$1.34 MX$24.79

120.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.82 MX$15.24

168.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.06 MX$56.6

93.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$4.94 MX$91.2

39.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.47 MX$27.17

-26.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.22 MX$40.95

55.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.48 MX$27.32

185.14%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$2.49 MX$45.99

69.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.79 $12.79

$7.52 MX$139

70.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 $10.61

$7.96 MX$147

33.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 $16.82

$12.57 MX$232

33.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.78 MX$51.3

56.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.43 MX$26.37

13.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.62 MX$48.37

64.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.14 MX$39.49

122.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.02 MX$37.38

42.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.99 MX$36.74

59.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.14 MX$21.01

90.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.20 MX$22.18

90.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.34 $9.34

$4.26 MX$78.7

119.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.82 $16.82

$10.02 MX$185

67.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.54 MX$28.41

38.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.66 MX$49.17

25.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.53 MX$9.73

322.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$4.90 MX$90.6

-38.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$3.43 MX$63.5

-51.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.90 $27.90

$5.38 MX$99.4

418.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.45 MX$26.76

-37.24%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

21.96%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

3.53%

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

$219 $219

$85.4 MX$1,577

156.89%

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

$66.9 $66.9

$23.46 MX$434

185.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.1 $70.1

$28.43 MX$525

146.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.90 $37.90

$62.2 MX$1,149

-39.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$13.27 $13.27

$5.10 MX$94.3

160.20%

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

$1,455 $1,455

$201 MX$3,715

623.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K $24.4K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

518.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 $59.1

$44.39 MX$820

33.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.32 $35.32

$41.35 MX$764

-14.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 $96.3

$72.7 MX$1,344

32.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$89.6 MX$1,656

41.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 $1,036

$979 MX$18.1K

5.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$805 $805

$373 MX$6,887

116.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 $1,738

$1,681 MX$31.1K

3.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 $1,488

$1,095 MX$20.2K

35.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,907 $2,907

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-26.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 $2,348

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-61.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,623 $2,623

$738 MX$13.6K

255.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.54

11.45

-34.15%

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

Last update for Lewiston, ID: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Lewiston, ID

$805 38%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 53.7% $433

Groceries & Markets

Lewiston, ID

$396 18.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 34.7% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lewiston, ID

$356 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 61.5% $219

Eating Out

Lewiston, ID

$334 15.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 40.1% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Lewiston, ID

$143 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 21.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Lewiston, ID

$64 3%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 12.4% $8

Getting Around

Lewiston, ID

$20 * 1%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 154% $31

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 $1,036 in Lewiston, ID and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lewiston, ID pays 256% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $59.0 in Lewiston, ID vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $396 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lewiston, ID

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

2 h ahead of Lewiston, ID

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,226

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lewiston, ID Playa del Carmen 3,950 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lewiston, ID
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

Lewiston, ID vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lewiston, ID and Playa del Carmen differ by about 76% in total monthly costs ($2,119 vs $1,204 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 256% higher in Lewiston, ID, 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: $1,036 in Lewiston, ID versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Lewiston, ID. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,119 per month in Lewiston, ID versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 76% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,119 in Lewiston, ID, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lewiston, ID. 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 76% less than in Lewiston, ID. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.