Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Beach, CA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,170 in Long Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

152

Cost of Living Index in Long Beach, CA
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Long Beach, CA Living Index
57

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

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Long Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,170

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,170 in Long Beach, CA versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Long Beach, CA $3,170
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,689 in Long Beach, CA versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Long Beach, CA $4,689
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,209 in Long Beach, CA versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Long Beach, CA $6,209
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Long Beach, CA is roughly 164% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Long Beach, CA is 134% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 $19.97

$10.67 MX$199

87.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 $81.0

$43.80 MX$815

84.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.09 $15.09

$11.79 MX$219

27.99%

Cappuccino

$6.05 $6.05

$3.79 MX$70.5

59.63%

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

$3.45 $3.45

$1.30 MX$24.14

165.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.83 MX$15.51

191.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 $7.53

$3.15 MX$58.6

139.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.64 $9.64

$4.93 MX$91.8

95.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.41 MX$26.22

-25.53%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.20 MX$40.86

88.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.47 MX$27.40

221.77%

Eggs

$4.77 $4.77

$2.50 MX$46.47

90.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.84 $12.84

$7.29 MX$136

76.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.28 $20.28

$7.95 MX$148

155.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.61 $15.61

$12.86 MX$239

21.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.90 MX$53.9

69.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.38 MX$25.74

23.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$2.49 MX$46.36

123.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.03 MX$37.78

192.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.02 MX$37.69

83.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.90 MX$35.42

18.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.14 MX$21.30

74.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.24 MX$23.06

47.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.86 $11.86

$4.27 MX$79.5

177.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$9.81 MX$183

55.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.59 MX$29.51

20.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.75 MX$51.1

47.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.51 MX$9.58

141.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.3 $65.3

$27.39 MX$510

138.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$4.76 MX$88.6

-35.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$3.25 MX$60.5

-44.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.98 $35.98

$5.39 MX$100

567.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.53 MX$28.44

3.92%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

33.32%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

17.78%

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

$170 $170

$83.5 MX$1,554

103.70%

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

$66.3 $66.3

$23.19 MX$431

186.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 $60.0

$27.61 MX$514

117.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.19 $36.19

$56.4 MX$1,050

-35.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 $15.20

$5.00 MX$93.1

204.00%

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

$1,936 $1,936

$207 MX$3,854

834.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

238.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 $57.5

$43.45 MX$809

32.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 $39.27

$42.54 MX$792

-7.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 $91.2

$72.8 MX$1,354

25.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 $147

$88.4 MX$1,645

66.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,097 $2,097

$995 MX$18.5K

110.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 $1,759

$382 MX$7,116

359.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,556 $3,556

$1,674 MX$31.2K

112.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,038 $3,038

$1,081 MX$20.1K

181.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 $7,121

$3,909 MX$72.7K

82.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,423 $6,423

$6,138 MX$114.2K

4.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,670 $4,670

$832 MX$15.5K

461.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

11.45

-44.89%

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

Last update for Long Beach, CA: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Long Beach, CA

$1.8K 55.5%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 78.3% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Long Beach, CA

$457 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 43.7% $200

Eating Out

Long Beach, CA

$358 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 44.1% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Beach, CA

$296 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 54.7% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Long Beach, CA

$151 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 26.2% $40

Getting Around

Long Beach, CA

$82 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 38.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Long Beach, CA

$67 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 0.2% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,097 in Long Beach, CA and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Long Beach, CA pays about 5.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Long Beach, CA vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Beach, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

22:04 10:04 PM

3 h ahead of Long Beach, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

469,450

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Long Beach, CA Playa del Carmen 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Long Beach, CA
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

Long Beach, CA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,170 in Long Beach, CA and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Long Beach, CA is about 5.6 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: $2,097 in Long Beach, CA versus $995 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 versus $81 in Long Beach, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,170 per month in Long Beach, CA versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 62% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,170 in Long Beach, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Long Beach, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Long Beach, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Long Beach, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.