Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,756 in Lewiston, ME, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Lewiston, ME
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Lewiston, ME 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, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,756

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,756 per month in Lewiston, ME vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lewiston, ME $2,756
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $4,038 per month in Lewiston, ME vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lewiston, ME $4,038
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $5,321 per month in Lewiston, ME vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lewiston, ME $5,321
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Lewiston, ME costs about 128% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lewiston, ME sits 104% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.04 $18.04

$10.76 MX$199

67.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.4 $95.4

$43.03 MX$795

121.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.76 $13.76

$11.79 MX$218

16.71%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$3.87 MX$71.4

41.86%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$1.37 MX$25.29

116.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.84 MX$15.44

225.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.13 $5.13

$3.10 MX$57.3

65.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.85 $7.85

$5.07 MX$93.6

54.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.44 MX$26.55

-28.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.23 MX$41.23

77.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$1.47 MX$27.17

260.54%

Eggs

$4.69 $4.69

$2.53 MX$46.71

85.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 $11.10

$7.30 MX$135

52.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.29 $14.29

$7.86 MX$145

81.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.48 $17.48

$12.79 MX$236

36.67%

Apples (1kg)

$6.80 $6.80

$2.90 MX$53.6

134.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.44 MX$26.53

21.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.77 $6.77

$2.55 MX$47.07

165.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.60 $5.60

$2.06 MX$38.03

171.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.00 MX$36.97

41.50%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.01 MX$37.07

115.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.19 MX$22.02

149.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.26 MX$23.23

77.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.74 $8.74

$4.40 MX$81.4

98.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 $13.66

$9.59 MX$177

42.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.59 MX$29.41

30.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.81 MX$51.9

46.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.57 MX$10.47

282.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$4.98 MX$92.1

-40.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.50 MX$64.6

-57.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.88 $30.88

$5.40 MX$99.8

471.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.47 MX$27.08

-26.53%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

76.86%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

11.14%

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

$319 $319

$84.2 MX$1,556

278.70%

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

$107 $107

$23.99 MX$443

345.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.7 $86.7

$29.02 MX$536

198.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.44 $39.44

$63.0 MX$1,164

-37.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$4.94 MX$91.3

204.05%

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

$1,852 $1,852

$204 MX$3,763

809.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.9K $29.9K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

659.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.21 $16.21

$43.60 MX$806

-62.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.27 $38.27

$43.12 MX$797

-11.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 $81.2

$75.8 MX$1,400

7.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100.0 $100.0

$88.6 MX$1,637

12.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 $993

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-1.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 $1,284

$374 MX$6,911

243.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,496 $2,496

$1,708 MX$31.6K

46.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,139 $2,139

$1,106 MX$20.4K

93.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,346 $2,346

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-40.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,234 $2,234

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-63.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

11.45

-42.01%

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

Last update for Lewiston, ME: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lewiston, ME

$1.3K 46.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 70.9% $910

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lewiston, ME

$512 18.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 73.2% $375

Groceries & Markets

Lewiston, ME

$449 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 42.4% $190

Eating Out

Lewiston, ME

$316 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 35.9% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Lewiston, ME

$106 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 6.6% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lewiston, ME

$69 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 4.9% $3.4

Getting Around

Lewiston, ME

$19 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 174% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $993 in Lewiston, ME versus $1,008 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95.0 in Lewiston, ME versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $449 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lewiston, ME

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

16:29 4:29 PM

1 h behind Lewiston, ME

🌤 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 →

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Lewiston, ME Playa del Carmen 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Lewiston, ME is pricier by about 128%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,133 per month in Lewiston, ME and $1,816 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95.0 in Lewiston, ME and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% more in Lewiston, ME, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Lewiston, ME at $2,756. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lewiston, ME 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lewiston, ME makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.