Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,570 in Long Beach, NY, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Long Beach, NY
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Long Beach, NY Living Index
60

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

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Long Beach, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,570

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,570 per month in Long Beach, NY vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Long Beach, NY $2,570
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $3,827 per month in Long Beach, NY vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Long Beach, NY $3,827
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $5,083 per month in Long Beach, NY vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Long Beach, NY $5,083
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Long Beach, NY costs about 111% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Long Beach, NY sits 92% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.97 $24.97

$10.97 MX$202

127.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 $80.2

$44.85 MX$825

78.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 $10.94

$11.92 MX$219

-8.22%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$3.80 MX$70.0

47.11%

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

$2.55 $2.55

$1.31 MX$24.12

94.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.86 MX$15.75

75.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$3.21 MX$59.1

144.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 $8.10

$5.01 MX$92.2

61.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.46 MX$26.81

-10.96%

White Bread (500g)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.33 MX$42.79

84.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$1.44 MX$26.52

331.25%

Eggs

$6.98 $6.98

$2.46 MX$45.26

183.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.39 $13.39

$7.70 MX$142

73.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.65 $11.65

$7.89 MX$145

47.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.33 $17.33

$12.80 MX$235

35.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$2.92 MX$53.6

84.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.42 MX$26.15

25.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.57 MX$47.17

62.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$2.14 MX$39.30

144.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.95 MX$35.80

57.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.94 MX$35.60

54.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.15 MX$21.16

146.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.22 MX$22.45

142.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.59 $11.59

$4.38 MX$80.5

164.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 $14.85

$9.85 MX$181

50.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.54 MX$28.27

13.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.72 MX$49.93

27.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 $1.89

$0.52 MX$9.65

263.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$504

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$4.91 MX$90.4

-40.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 $2.04

$3.52 MX$64.8

-42.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.70 $23.70

$5.69 MX$105

316.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.54 MX$28.32

-30.52%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$21.2K MX$390.5K

67.20%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$24.5K MX$450.3K

3.91%

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

$169 $169

$83.6 MX$1,537

101.99%

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

$51.1 $51.1

$24.03 MX$442

112.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.94 $49.94

$29.33 MX$539

70.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.98 $38.98

$64.9 MX$1,193

-39.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.09 MX$93.5

180.55%

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

$1,980 $1,980

$208 MX$3,819

853.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K $16.0K

$4,045 MX$74.4K

296.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.73 $41.73

$44.55 MX$819

-6.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.5 $58.5

$42.06 MX$773

39.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.2 $75.2

$75.5 MX$1,389

-0.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$91.4 MX$1,680

14.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 $1,615

$986 MX$18.1K

63.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,320 $1,320

$385 MX$7,083

242.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,491 $2,491

$1,713 MX$31.5K

45.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,419 $2,419

$1,108 MX$20.4K

118.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,548 $2,548

$4,016 MX$73.8K

-36.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,076 $2,076

$6,247 MX$114.9K

-66.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.45

-41.05%

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

Last update for Long Beach, NY: October 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Long Beach, NY

$1.3K 50.3%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 70.8% $934

Groceries & Markets

Long Beach, NY

$447 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 41.8% $187

Eating Out

Long Beach, NY

$371 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 45.1% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Beach, NY

$270 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 49.2% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Long Beach, NY

$126 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 9.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Long Beach, NY

$68 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 11.1% $7.5

Getting Around

Long Beach, NY

$21 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 152% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,615 in Long Beach, NY versus $986 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Long Beach, NY versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $447 vs $260 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Beach, NY

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

04:45 4:45 AM

1 h behind Long Beach, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

469,450

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.85 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 October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 18.39 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.61 MXN (100 MXN = 4.85 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Long Beach, NY Playa del Carmen 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Long Beach, NY costs about 111% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,855 per month in Long Beach, NY and $1,823 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Long Beach, NY and $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 72% more in Long Beach, NY, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Long Beach, NY at $2,570. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Long Beach, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,215 versus $2,570 in Long Beach, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Long Beach, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.