Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lexington, KY and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,266 in Lexington, KY, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Lexington, KY
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Lexington, KY Living Index
58

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

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Lexington, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,266

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,266 in Lexington, KY versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Lexington, KY $2,266
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,326 in Lexington, KY versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Lexington, KY $3,326
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,386 in Lexington, KY versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Lexington, KY $4,386
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Lexington, KY is roughly 88% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lexington, KY is 66% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.76 $12.76

$10.92 MX$205

16.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.3 $57.3

$43.37 MX$813

32.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 $8.94

$11.78 MX$221

-24.11%

Cappuccino

$4.92 $4.92

$3.81 MX$71.4

29.13%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.28 MX$24.03

96.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.78 MX$14.67

170.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$3.17 MX$59.3

62.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$4.93 MX$92.5

25.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.41 MX$26.35

-48.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.22 MX$41.54

28.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.42 MX$26.56

173.94%

Eggs

$3.52 $3.52

$2.52 MX$47.27

39.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$7.26 MX$136

40.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 $10.35

$7.70 MX$144

34.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$12.69 MX$238

11.58%

Apples (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$2.78 MX$52.2

97.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.37 MX$25.64

12.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.55 MX$47.80

117.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.12 MX$39.78

109.91%

Potato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.94 MX$36.32

109.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.89 MX$35.34

69.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.15 MX$21.49

83.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.18 MX$22.09

170.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.81 $8.81

$4.30 MX$80.5

104.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.18 $13.18

$9.95 MX$186

32.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.58 MX$29.67

70.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.67 MX$50.1

55.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.55 MX$10.37

87.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.42 $29.42

$26.62 MX$499

10.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 $5.10

$4.97 MX$93.1

2.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.44 MX$27.06

-35.42%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

32.03%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

12.11%

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

$192 $192

$84.8 MX$1,589

126.72%

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

$108 $108

$23.41 MX$439

359.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.1 $75.1

$28.66 MX$537

162.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.36 $27.36

$57.1 MX$1,069

-52.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.72 $29.72

$28.91 MX$542

2.80%

Cinema Ticket

$14.94 $14.94

$5.14 MX$96.3

190.66%

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

$2,240 $2,240

$207 MX$3,871

984.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K $25.2K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

542.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$43.35 MX$812

16.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 $31.75

$41.44 MX$777

-23.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$74.2 MX$1,390

55.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 $153

$89.3 MX$1,672

71.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 $1,710

$980 MX$18.4K

74.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 $1,008

$381 MX$7,136

164.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 $2,665

$1,708 MX$32.0K

56.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 $1,684

$1,075 MX$20.1K

56.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,294 $2,294

$3,943 MX$73.9K

-41.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,961 $1,961

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-68.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,152 $4,152

$735 MX$13.8K

465.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.45

-40.44%

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

Last update for Lexington, KY: October 24, 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

Lexington, KY

$1K 44.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 62.2% $627

Groceries & Markets

Lexington, KY

$385 17%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 33.8% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lexington, KY

$375 16.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 63.5% $238

Eating Out

Lexington, KY

$245 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 17.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Lexington, KY

$158 7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Lexington, KY

$57 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 17.6% $10

Getting Around

Lexington, KY

$39 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 30.6% $12

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 $1,710 in Lexington, KY and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lexington, KY pays about 5.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Lexington, KY vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lexington, KY

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

Same time as Lexington, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,570

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lexington, KY Playa del Carmen 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lexington, KY
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

Lexington, KY vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Lexington, KY. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Lexington, KY is about 5.7 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: $1,710 in Lexington, KY versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $57 in Lexington, KY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,266 per month in Lexington, KY versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,266 in Lexington, KY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lexington, KY. 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 47% less than in Lexington, KY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.