Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Martha's Vineyard, MA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,503 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Martha's Vineyard, MA
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Martha's Vineyard, MA Living Index
57

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

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Martha's Vineyard, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,503

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,503 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Martha's Vineyard, MA $2,503
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,756 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Martha's Vineyard, MA $3,756
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,009 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Martha's Vineyard, MA $5,009
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Martha’s Vineyard, MA is roughly 108% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Martha’s Vineyard, MA is 85% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.13 $20.13

$10.67 MX$199

88.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 $74.6

$43.80 MX$815

70.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.95 $12.95

$11.79 MX$219

9.84%

Cappuccino

$5.25 $5.25

$3.79 MX$70.5

38.52%

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

$2.55 $2.55

$1.30 MX$24.14

96.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.83 MX$15.51

136.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 $6.18

$3.15 MX$58.6

96.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.60 $8.60

$4.93 MX$91.8

74.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.41 MX$26.22

-28.37%

White Bread (500g)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.20 MX$40.86

105.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.47 MX$27.40

193.20%

Eggs

$6.22 $6.22

$2.50 MX$46.46

148.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.72 $10.72

$7.29 MX$136

47.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.53 $10.53

$7.95 MX$148

32.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$12.86 MX$239

49.14%

Apples (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$2.90 MX$53.9

88.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.38 MX$25.74

15.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.49 MX$46.35

34.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.03 MX$37.77

50.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.02 MX$37.68

9.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.90 MX$35.42

31.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.14 MX$21.30

129.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.24 MX$23.05

131.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.89 $11.89

$4.27 MX$79.5

178.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.73 $16.73

$9.81 MX$183

70.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.59 MX$29.51

14.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.75 MX$51.1

4.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.51 MX$9.58

350.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.9 $64.9

$27.39 MX$510

136.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.80 $3.80

$4.76 MX$88.6

-20.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.25 MX$60.5

-32.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.16 $48.16

$5.39 MX$100

793.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.53 MX$28.44

-32.68%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

30.63%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

12.35%

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

$200 $200

$83.5 MX$1,554

139.73%

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

$36.74 $36.74

$23.19 MX$431

58.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.7 $60.7

$27.61 MX$514

119.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.04 $36.04

$56.4 MX$1,050

-36.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$12.59 $12.59

$5.00 MX$93.1

151.80%

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

$2,161 $2,161

$207 MX$3,854

943.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.0K $35.0K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

568.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.15 $39.15

$43.45 MX$809

-9.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.10 $16.10

$42.54 MX$792

-62.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$72.8 MX$1,354

39.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$88.4 MX$1,645

18.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 $1,569

$995 MX$18.5K

57.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 $1,199

$382 MX$7,116

213.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 $2,570

$1,674 MX$31.2K

53.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,134 $2,134

$1,081 MX$20.1K

97.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,662 $2,662

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-31.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,282 $2,282

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-62.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 Martha's Vineyard, MA: November 2, 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

Martha's Vineyard, MA

$1.2K 47.9%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 68.1% $816

Groceries & Markets

Martha's Vineyard, MA

$410 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 37.2% $153

Eating Out

Martha's Vineyard, MA

$329 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 39.1% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Martha's Vineyard, MA

$298 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 54.9% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Martha's Vineyard, MA

$118 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 5.5% $6.5

Getting Around

Martha's Vineyard, MA

$89 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 43.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Martha's Vineyard, MA

$61 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 8.5% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,569 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Martha's Vineyard, MA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

Same time as Martha's Vineyard, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,510

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

Martha's Vineyard, MA Playa del Carmen 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Martha's Vineyard, MA
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

Martha's Vineyard, MA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Martha’s Vineyard, MA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,754 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,569 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA 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 $75 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,503 per month in Martha’s Vineyard, MA versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,503 in Martha’s Vineyard, MA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Martha’s Vineyard, MA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Martha’s Vineyard, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.