Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Branch, NJ and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,692 in Long Branch, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Long Branch, NJ
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Long Branch, NJ Living Index
58

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

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Long Branch, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,692

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,692 per month in Long Branch, NJ vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Long Branch, NJ $2,692
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,706 per month in Long Branch, NJ vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Long Branch, NJ $3,706
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,720 per month in Long Branch, NJ vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Long Branch, NJ $4,720
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Long Branch, NJ costs about 124% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Long Branch, NJ sits 98% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 $19.97

$10.92 MX$204

82.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.4 $75.4

$43.37 MX$808

73.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.98 $12.98

$11.78 MX$220

10.19%

Cappuccino

$5.02 $5.02

$3.81 MX$71.0

31.76%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$1.28 MX$23.90

117.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.78 MX$14.59

161.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.17 MX$59.0

25.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$4.93 MX$92.0

41.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.41 MX$26.22

-24.82%

White Bread (500g)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.22 MX$41.33

108.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.42 MX$26.42

209.15%

Eggs

$6.48 $6.48

$2.52 MX$47.03

157.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 $10.54

$7.26 MX$135

45.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.85 $10.85

$7.70 MX$143

40.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.14 $19.14

$12.69 MX$237

50.83%

Apples (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.78 MX$51.9

96.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.37 MX$25.50

16.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.55 MX$47.55

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.12 MX$39.58

47.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.94 MX$36.13

15.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.89 MX$35.16

31.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.15 MX$21.37

136.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.18 MX$21.98

139.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.69 $13.69

$4.30 MX$80.1

218.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.82 $16.82

$9.95 MX$185

69.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.58 MX$29.52

21.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.67 MX$49.79

3.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.55 MX$10.31

298.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.0 $62.0

$26.62 MX$496

132.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 $5.94

$4.97 MX$92.6

19.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.33 MX$62.1

-53.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.68 $31.68

$5.36 MX$99.8

491.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.44 MX$26.92

-27.78%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

36.19%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

12.36%

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

$179 $179

$84.8 MX$1,581

111.58%

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

$37.21 $37.21

$23.41 MX$436

58.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 $59.8

$28.66 MX$534

108.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.08 $36.08

$57.1 MX$1,063

-36.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$12.42 $12.42

$5.14 MX$95.8

141.63%

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

$2,152 $2,152

$207 MX$3,851

941.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K $21.4K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

445.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.46 $38.46

$43.35 MX$808

-11.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.42 $16.42

$41.44 MX$772

-60.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 $100.0

$74.2 MX$1,383

34.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 $126

$89.3 MX$1,664

41.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 $1,440

$980 MX$18.3K

47.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,417 $1,417

$381 MX$7,099

272.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 $2,815

$1,708 MX$31.8K

64.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 $1,870

$1,075 MX$20.0K

73.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,782 $2,782

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-29.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,109 $2,109

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-65.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.45

-43.14%

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

Last update for Long Branch, NJ: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Long Branch, NJ

$1.4K 52.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 73.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Long Branch, NJ

$415 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 38.6% $160

Eating Out

Long Branch, NJ

$312 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 35.1% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Branch, NJ

$276 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 50.5% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Long Branch, NJ

$126 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 11.7% $15

Getting Around

Long Branch, NJ

$84 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 40.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Long Branch, NJ

$61 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 10.5% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,440 in Long Branch, NJ versus $980 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 $75 in Long Branch, NJ versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $415 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Branch, NJ

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

15:50 3:50 PM

1 h behind Long Branch, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,314

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Long Branch, NJ Playa del Carmen 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Long Branch, NJ
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 Branch, NJ vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,692 in Long Branch, NJ, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 55% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,039 per month in Long Branch, NJ and $1,806 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,440 in Long Branch, NJ.

Groceries cost about 63% more in Long Branch, NJ, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Long Branch, NJ and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Long Branch, NJ at $2,692. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Long Branch, NJ it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.