Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $4,225 in Long Island, NY, rent and utilities included – about $36,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

201

Cost of Living Index in Long Island, NY
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Long Island, NY 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 Island, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,225

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,225 per month in Long Island, NY vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Long Island, NY $4,225
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $5,930 per month in Long Island, NY vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Long Island, NY $5,930
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $7,634 per month in Long Island, NY vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Long Island, NY $7,634
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Long Island, NY costs about 251% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Long Island, NY sits 210% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.14 $25.14

$10.92 MX$205

130.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.5 $98.5

$43.37 MX$814

127.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 $10.99

$11.78 MX$221

-6.71%

Cappuccino

$5.08 $5.08

$3.81 MX$71.5

33.33%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$1.28 MX$24.07

67.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.78 MX$14.70

102.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.02 $8.02

$3.17 MX$59.5

153.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$4.93 MX$92.7

60.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.41 MX$26.40

-6.38%

White Bread (500g)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.22 MX$41.62

91.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.42 MX$26.61

36.62%

Eggs

$5.26 $5.26

$2.52 MX$47.36

108.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 $7.21

$7.26 MX$136

-0.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.89 $11.89

$7.70 MX$144

54.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$12.69 MX$238

27.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.78 MX$52.3

53.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.37 MX$25.68

-12.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.55 MX$47.89

-18.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$2.12 MX$39.86

190.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.94 MX$36.39

-44.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.89 MX$35.41

15.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.15 MX$21.53

28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.18 MX$22.13

141.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.85 $11.85

$4.30 MX$80.6

175.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.58 $17.58

$9.95 MX$187

76.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.58 MX$29.73

11.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.67 MX$50.1

53.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.97 $2.97

$0.55 MX$10.39

440.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$130 $130

$26.62 MX$500

386.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 $2.99

$4.97 MX$93.3

-39.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$3.33 MX$62.5

-39.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.41 $24.41

$5.36 MX$101

355.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.44 MX$27.11

-22.92%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

33.03%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

11.98%

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

$192 $192

$84.8 MX$1,592

126.17%

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

$48.26 $48.26

$23.41 MX$439

106.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 $53.7

$28.66 MX$538

87.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.30 $31.30

$57.1 MX$1,071

-45.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$102 $102

$28.91 MX$543

252.47%

Cinema Ticket

$14.69 $14.69

$5.14 MX$96.5

185.80%

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

$2,444 $2,444

$207 MX$3,878

1083.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

499.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.07 $40.07

$43.35 MX$814

-7.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 $56.7

$41.44 MX$778

36.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 $76.3

$74.2 MX$1,393

2.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 $155

$89.3 MX$1,676

74.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,189 $3,189

$980 MX$18.4K

225.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,820 $2,820

$381 MX$7,150

640.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,670 $5,670

$1,708 MX$32.1K

231.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,315 $4,315

$1,075 MX$20.2K

301.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,973 $5,973

$3,943 MX$74.0K

51.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,241 $4,241

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-31.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,981 $4,981

$735 MX$13.8K

578.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

11.45

-42.10%

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

Last update for Long Island, NY: October 25, 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 Island, NY

$2.8K 66.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 86.5% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

Long Island, NY

$382 9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 33.3% $127

Eating Out

Long Island, NY

$366 8.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 44.7% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Island, NY

$294 7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 53.4% $157

Getting Around

Long Island, NY

$154 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 67.3% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Long Island, NY

$148 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 24.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Long Island, NY

$61 1.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 10.9% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,189 in Long Island, NY 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.

Salaries in Long Island, NY are about 6.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Long Island, NY versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Island, NY

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:50 10:50 AM

Same time as Long Island, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,804,968

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Long Island, NY Playa del Carmen 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $4,225 in Long Island, NY, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 71% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,337 per month in Long Island, NY 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 $3,189 in Long Island, NY.

Kindergarten costs $2,444 per month in Long Island, NY and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Long Island, NY, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Long Island, NY at $4,225. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Long Island, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $4,225 in Long Island, NY. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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