Cost of Living Comparison Between Livingston and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Livingston and Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,225 in Livingston versus $1,287 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,441 in Livingston versus $2,184 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,656 in Livingston versus $3,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Livingston is roughly 73% more expensive than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Livingston is 66% above, Playa del Carmen is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.42 £15.13

$11.94 MX$209

71.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.3 £69.1

$42.75 MX$748

118.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.73 £7.21

$10.59 MX$185

-8.12%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.64

$3.62 MX$63.4

35.64%

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

$2.66 £1.97

$1.47 MX$25.69

80.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.62

$0.94 MX$16.51

132.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.94 £5.14

$3.09 MX$54.1

124.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 £5.08

$4.46 MX$78.0

53.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 £1.22

$1.43 MX$24.94

15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.88 MX$32.97

-7.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 £1.61

$1.63 MX$28.50

33.74%

Eggs

$3.59 £2.66

$2.64 MX$46.26

35.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.03 £8.17

$8.21 MX$144

34.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.34 £6.92

$8.29 MX$145

12.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 £11.98

$11.10 MX$194

45.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.30

$2.65 MX$46.40

17.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 £1.23

$1.50 MX$26.26

10.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 £1.96

$1.99 MX$34.79

33.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 £2.80

$2.08 MX$36.33

81.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 £1.30

$1.79 MX$31.29

-1.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 £1.07

$2.18 MX$38.09

-33.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.89

$1.08 MX$18.84

11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 £1.24

$1.04 MX$18.15

61.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.22 £14.24

$3.97 MX$69.5

384.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.62 £7.87

$10.20 MX$179

4.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 £1.91

$1.73 MX$30.22

49.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 £2.50

$2.50 MX$43.71

34.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 £2.44

$0.52 MX$9.07

532.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.4 £56.6

$26.97 MX$472

183.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 £4.10

$3.14 MX$55.0

76.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 £0.95

$2.40 MX$42.04

-46.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.75 £16.86

$3.09 MX$54.0

636.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.46

$1.27 MX$22.28

55.12%

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

$38.0K £28.2K

$30.9K MX$540.4K

23.11%

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

$39.3K £29.1K

$23.3K MX$408.0K

68.62%

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

$378 £280

$82.0 MX$1,435

361.50%

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

$17.07 £12.65

$22.45 MX$393

-23.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.79 £33.19

$29.66 MX$519

51.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.6 £44.91

$51.9 MX$908

16.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.81 £25.06

$18.67 MX$327

81.09%

Cinema Ticket

$11.07 £8.20

$4.97 MX$87.0

122.74%

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

$1,276 £946

$198 MX$3,462

545.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K £13.9K

$5,273 MX$92.3K

254.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £78.5

$36.34 MX$636

191.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 £41.27

$40.05 MX$701

39.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 £85.8

$79.9 MX$1,398

44.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.4 £61.1

$88.9 MX$1,555

-7.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 £654

$963 MX$16.9K

-8.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$781 £579

$465 MX$8,133

68.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,928 £1,429

$1,596 MX$27.9K

20.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,535 £1,138

$1,209 MX$21.2K

27.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$69.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,448 MX$112.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,548 £2,629

$720 MX$12.6K

392.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.7

11.42

-50.09%

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

Last update for Livingston: April 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $882 in Livingston and $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Livingston pays 393% 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: $93.0 in Livingston vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $251 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in Livingston. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Livingston pays 393% more on average, 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: $882 in Livingston versus $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,276 in Livingston versus $198 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Livingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,287 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,225 in Livingston, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Livingston. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,287 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Livingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.