Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Luquillo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Luquillo and in Playa del Carmen: $1,253 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Luquillo
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Luquillo Living Index
58

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

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Luquillo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,253

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,253 in Luquillo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Luquillo $1,253
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,011 in Luquillo versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Luquillo $2,011
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,768 in Luquillo versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Luquillo $2,768
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Luquillo is roughly 4% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Luquillo 8% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.20 $19.20

$10.92 MX$204

75.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.0 $83.0

$43.37 MX$810

91.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.40 $9.40

$11.78 MX$220

-20.20%

Cappuccino

$3.65 $3.65

$3.81 MX$71.2

-4.20%

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

$1.65 $1.65

$1.28 MX$23.96

28.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 $1.44

$0.78 MX$14.63

84.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.17 MX$59.2

-7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$4.93 MX$92.2

-55.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.41 MX$26.28

51.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.22 MX$41.43

61.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.42 MX$26.48

71.83%

Eggs

$7.32 $7.32

$2.52 MX$47.14

190.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.66 $12.66

$7.26 MX$136

74.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 $9.56

$7.70 MX$144

24.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.35 $13.35

$12.69 MX$237

5.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.78 MX$52.0

79.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.37 MX$25.56

85.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.55 MX$47.66

92.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.12 MX$39.67

129.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.94 MX$36.22

91.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.89 MX$35.24

108.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.35 $3.35

$1.15 MX$21.42

191.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.18 MX$22.03

35.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.14 $12.14

$4.30 MX$80.3

182.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.04 $12.04

$9.95 MX$186

21.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.58 MX$29.59

98.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.67 MX$49.91

47.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 $2.45

$4.97 MX$92.9

-50.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.33 MX$62.2

-54.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.65 $41.65

$5.36 MX$100

677.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.44 MX$26.98

-45.83%

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

$34.7K $34.7K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

67.95%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

19.24%

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

$266 $266

$84.8 MX$1,584

213.85%

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

$69.3 $69.3

$23.41 MX$437

196.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$28.66 MX$535

146.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 $10.56

$5.14 MX$96.0

105.45%

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

$806 $806

$207 MX$3,860

290.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

220.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 $55.5

$43.35 MX$810

28.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 $61.0

$41.44 MX$774

47.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$74.2 MX$1,386

48.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$89.3 MX$1,668

27.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,126 $4,126

$735 MX$13.7K

461.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.45

-42.79%

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

Last update for Luquillo: 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.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Luquillo

$406 32.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 66.3% $269

Groceries & Markets

Luquillo

$406 32.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 37.2% $151

Eating Out

Luquillo

$257 20.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 21.3% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Luquillo

$153 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Luquillo

$21 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 219% $46

Getting Around

Luquillo

$10 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 399% $40

Accommodation & Living

Luquillo

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Dining out: $83 in Luquillo vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Luquillo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

06:10 6:10 AM

1 h behind Luquillo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,000

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Luquillo Playa del Carmen 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Luquillo
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

Luquillo vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Luquillo 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Luquillo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,253 per month in Luquillo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Luquillo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.