Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lincoln and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,203 in Lincoln, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln
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Lincoln Living Index
59

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

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Lincoln

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,203

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,203 in Lincoln versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Lincoln $2,203
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,290 in Lincoln versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Lincoln $3,290
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,376 in Lincoln versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Lincoln $4,376
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Lincoln is roughly 83% 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: Lincoln is 63% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.70 £20.03

$10.86 MX$201

145.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.8 £64.4

$44.21 MX$817

94.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 £6.11

$11.76 MX$217

-30.78%

Cappuccino

$4.98 £3.74

$3.68 MX$68.0

35.33%

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

$2.64 £1.98

$1.34 MX$24.79

97.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 £1.48

$0.82 MX$15.24

140.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.70 £5.03

$3.06 MX$56.6

118.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.58 £4.94

$4.94 MX$91.2

33.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.47 MX$27.17

-4.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 £1.12

$2.22 MX$40.95

-32.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 £1.01

$1.48 MX$27.32

-9.46%

Eggs

$3.36 £2.52

$2.49 MX$45.99

34.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 £6.23

$7.52 MX$139

10.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.59 £6.44

$7.96 MX$147

7.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.39 £8.54

$12.57 MX$232

-9.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 £2.61

$2.78 MX$51.3

25.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.43 MX$26.37

-16.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.62 MX$48.37

18.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 £2.74

$2.14 MX$39.49

70.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 £1.10

$2.02 MX$37.38

-27.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.99 MX$36.74

-41.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 £0.78

$1.14 MX$21.01

-8.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.02

$1.20 MX$22.18

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.57 £17.68

$4.26 MX$78.7

453.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.88

$10.02 MX$185

4.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.39

$1.54 MX$28.41

106.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 £2.69

$2.66 MX$49.17

34.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.15 £3.12

$0.53 MX$9.73

683.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.3

$27.51 MX$508

289.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 £2.91

$4.90 MX$90.6

-20.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 £0.54

$3.43 MX$63.5

-79.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.84 £14.89

$5.38 MX$99.4

268.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.45 MX$26.76

42.07%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

82.30%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

75.30%

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

$304 £228

$85.4 MX$1,577

256.02%

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

$17.07 £12.81

$23.46 MX$434

-27.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.02 £30.02

$28.43 MX$525

40.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.70 £20.03

$62.2 MX$1,149

-57.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.35 £16.01

$28.68 MX$530

-25.56%

Cinema Ticket

$15.55 £11.66

$5.10 MX$94.3

204.90%

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

$1,831 £1,373

$201 MX$3,715

810.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K £15.5K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

422.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 £85.9

$44.39 MX$820

157.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.6 £43.98

$41.35 MX$764

41.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 £63.7

$72.7 MX$1,344

16.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 £74.5

$89.6 MX$1,656

10.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 £809

$979 MX$18.1K

10.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$854 £640

$373 MX$6,887

129.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,936 £1,453

$1,681 MX$31.1K

15.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 £1,070

$1,095 MX$20.2K

30.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 £1,878

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-36.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,220 £916

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-80.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,307 £2,481

$738 MX$13.6K

348.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.88

11.45

-57.38%

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

Last update for Lincoln: October 17, 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

Lincoln

$854 38.7%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 56.3% $481

Eating Out

Lincoln

$363 16.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 44.8% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lincoln

$361 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 62% $224

Groceries & Markets

Lincoln

$276 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 6.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Lincoln

$161 7.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 30.6% $49

Getting Around

Lincoln

$131 6%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 60.6% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Lincoln

$58 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 25.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Lincoln and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lincoln pays 348% 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: $86.0 in Lincoln vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Lincoln

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

21:15 9:15 PM

6 h behind Lincoln

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

97,541

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lincoln Playa del Carmen 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lincoln
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

Lincoln vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lincoln and Playa del Carmen differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($2,203 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 348% higher in Lincoln, 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: $1,078 in Lincoln versus $979 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 $44.00 versus $86.0 in Lincoln. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,203 per month in Lincoln versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 83% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,203 in Lincoln, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lincoln. 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.

Safety-wise, Lincoln and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Lincoln. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.