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: $2,216 in Livingston versus $1,260 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,443 in Livingston versus $2,125 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,669 in Livingston versus $2,990 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Livingston is roughly 76% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Livingston is 66% above, Playa del Carmen is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 £14.86

$11.72 MX$203

71.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.4 £70.0

$41.89 MX$725

125.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 £7.28

$10.51 MX$182

-6.57%

Cappuccino

$4.80 £3.56

$3.59 MX$62.0

33.70%

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

$2.73 £2.03

$1.51 MX$26.10

80.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 £1.57

$0.92 MX$15.83

130.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 £5.17

$2.96 MX$51.2

135.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 £4.88

$4.41 MX$76.3

49.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 £1.21

$1.40 MX$24.16

16.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 £1.23

$1.88 MX$32.60

-11.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 £1.60

$1.56 MX$26.97

38.46%

Eggs

$3.56 £2.64

$2.61 MX$45.14

36.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 £8.20

$8.32 MX$144

32.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 £6.82

$8.35 MX$145

10.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.24 £12.03

$10.86 MX$188

49.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.35

$2.71 MX$46.93

16.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 £1.21

$1.51 MX$26.04

7.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 £2.04

$1.87 MX$32.41

47.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 £2.80

$2.19 MX$37.89

72.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 £1.31

$1.86 MX$32.14

-5.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 £1.06

$2.23 MX$38.59

-35.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.86

$1.07 MX$18.48

8.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 £1.23

$1.09 MX$18.79

51.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.91 £14.01

$4.19 MX$72.4

351.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.68 £7.91

$10.43 MX$180

2.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 £1.95

$1.66 MX$28.68

58.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 £2.53

$2.61 MX$45.19

31.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.28 £2.43

$0.54 MX$9.37

507.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.9 £55.5

$26.16 MX$453

186.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.04

$3.08 MX$53.3

76.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 £0.91

$2.40 MX$41.61

-48.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.03 £16.33

$3.13 MX$54.1

603.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.31 MX$22.69

51.91%

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

$38.9K £28.9K

$29.8K MX$515.7K

30.59%

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

$39.7K £29.4K

$23.3K MX$403.5K

70.36%

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

$381 £282

$81.3 MX$1,406

368.39%

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

$17.55 £13.01

$22.56 MX$390

-22.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.47 £33.70

$30.05 MX$520

51.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.0 £45.19

$52.9 MX$915

15.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.29 £25.42

$18.39 MX$318

86.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.77 £7.98

$4.92 MX$85.1

118.90%

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

$1,249 £926

$201 MX$3,474

522.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K £13.9K

$5,175 MX$89.5K

261.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 £78.2

$35.92 MX$622

193.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 £40.92

$40.13 MX$694

37.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 £86.2

$79.7 MX$1,379

45.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.6 £60.5

$86.5 MX$1,496

-5.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 £661

$978 MX$16.9K

-8.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$769 £570

$470 MX$8,140

63.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 £1,456

$1,651 MX$28.6K

18.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 £1,170

$1,203 MX$20.8K

31.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,953 MX$68.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,607 MX$114.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,983 £2,952

$677 MX$11.7K

488.71%

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: July 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $891 in Livingston and $978 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Livingston pays 489% 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: $94.0 in Livingston vs $42.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $252 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 76% 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 489% 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: $891 in Livingston versus $978 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,249 in Livingston versus $201 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 $1,260 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,216 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 $1,260 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 76% less than in Livingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.