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: $1,972 in Livingston versus $1,266 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,136 in Livingston versus $2,279 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,300 in Livingston versus $3,292 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Livingston is roughly 56% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Livingston is 44% above, Playa del Carmen is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 £15.23

$11.60 MX$199

75.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100.0 £74.9

$47.11 MX$809

112.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 £8.18

$11.88 MX$204

-8.08%

Cappuccino

$5.31 £3.97

$3.98 MX$68.2

33.42%

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

$2.71 £2.03

$1.43 MX$24.49

89.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.82

$0.82 MX$14.16

196.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.92 £5.18

$3.19 MX$54.7

116.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 £5.17

$6.79 MX$117

1.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 £1.10

$1.68 MX$28.76

-13.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 £1.43

$2.20 MX$37.71

-12.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 £1.72

$1.71 MX$29.32

34.50%

Eggs

$3.66 £2.74

$2.74 MX$47.05

33.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 £6.97

$9.58 MX$164

-2.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 £6.86

$9.01 MX$155

1.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.91 £11.17

$12.81 MX$220

16.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.27

$2.89 MX$49.58

4.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.50 MX$25.70

10.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.11

$2.15 MX$36.87

31.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 £2.74

$2.26 MX$38.79

61.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.98 MX$34.00

-16.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 £1.08

$1.99 MX$34.15

-27.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.87

$1.23 MX$21.18

-4.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.20 MX$20.54

31.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.46 £16.81

$4.55 MX$78.1

393.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.61 £7.94

$10.37 MX$178

2.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 £2.32

$1.62 MX$27.79

91.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.45

$2.88 MX$49.44

13.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 MX$10.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.80 MX$494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 £4.09

$5.39 MX$92.5

1.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 £1.23

$3.73 MX$64.0

-55.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.53 £21.36

$5.77 MX$99.0

394.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.59

$1.54 MX$26.37

38.31%

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

$38.9K £29.1K

$22.5K MX$387.0K

72.53%

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

$41.7K £31.3K

$26.1K MX$447.3K

60.21%

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

$335 £251

$91.4 MX$1,569

266.84%

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

$16.74 £12.54

$25.20 MX$433

-33.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.86 £31.34

$31.24 MX$536

33.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 MX$1,154

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.11 MX$500

Cinema Ticket

$10.85 £8.12

$4.86 MX$83.5

123.25%

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

$1,227 £918

$224 MX$3,839

448.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K £13.3K

$4,229 MX$72.6K

319.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.5 £70.7

$47.10 MX$808

100.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.21 £36.10

$44.29 MX$760

8.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 £82.0

$80.1 MX$1,375

36.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 £72.2

$92.7 MX$1,591

4.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$875 £655

$1,063 MX$18.2K

-17.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 £575

$390 MX$6,698

96.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,918 £1,436

$2,149 MX$36.9K

-10.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 £1,156

$1,272 MX$21.8K

21.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,001 MX$68.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,502 MX$111.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,088 £3,061

$758 MX$13.0K

439.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.15

11.45

-55.02%

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

Last update for Livingston: September 15, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: September 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $875 in Livingston and $1,063 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Livingston pays 439% 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: $100 in Livingston vs $47.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $276 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 56% 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.

Average pay runs 439% higher in Livingston, 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: $875 in Livingston versus $1,063 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Livingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,972 per month in Livingston versus $1,266 in Playa del Carmen – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,266 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,972 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 $1,266 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 56% less than in Livingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.