Cost of Living Comparison Between May Pen and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between May Pen and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: May Pen is 46.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 48.9% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: May Pen is 32.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 56.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
May Pen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
-
$11.61 MX$200
-
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
-
$42.75 MX$738
-
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
-
$10.60 MX$183
-
Cappuccino
-
$3.59 MX$62.0
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.45 MX$25.08
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.90 MX$15.50
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.03 MX$52.4
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.56 MX$78.8
-
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
May Pen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.23 JMDย 352
$1.45 MX$25.07
53.79%
White Bread (500g)
$3.84 JMDย 607
$1.83 MX$31.55
109.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.10 JMDย 490
$1.61 MX$27.77
92.55%
Eggs
$3.28 JMDย 518
$2.54 MX$43.82
29.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
-
$8.54 MX$148
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.58 JMDย 1,197
$8.47 MX$146
-10.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.98 JMDย 786
$10.86 MX$188
-54.14%
Apples (1kg)
$1.55 JMDย 245
$2.73 MX$47.13
-43.22%
Banana (1kg)
$5.13 JMDย 810
$1.49 MX$25.77
244.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.27 JMDย 991
$1.94 MX$33.55
223.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.86 JMDย 294
$2.16 MX$37.38
-13.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.84 JMDย 291
$1.85 MX$31.88
-0.54%
Onion (1kg)
$1.91 JMDย 302
$2.19 MX$37.80
-12.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.20 JMDย 506
$1.07 MX$18.52
199.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.77 JMDย 438
$1.08 MX$18.71
156.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$4.06 MX$70.1
-
Wine (Bottle)
-
$10.46 MX$181
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.16 JMDย 342
$1.65 MX$28.56
30.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.55 MX$44.01
-
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
May Pen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 JMDย 138
$0.56 MX$9.60
55.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.20 MX$453
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.14 MX$54.2
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.37 MX$40.96
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.24 MX$56.0
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.37 JMDย 216
$1.31 MX$22.70
4.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$23.8K MX$411.4K
-
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
May Pen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
-
$83.1 MX$1,436
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$42.21 JMDย 6,670
$22.15 MX$383
90.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.52 JMDย 6,087
$29.37 MX$507
31.15%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
May Pen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$51.2 MX$884
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.69 MX$323
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$4.89 MX$84.4
-
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
May Pen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$316 JMDย 49.9K
$199 MX$3,431
58.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,207 MX$89.9K
-
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
May Pen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$15.94 JMDย 2,519
$35.93 MX$621
-55.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.48 JMDย 3,395
$39.39 MX$680
-45.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$41.08 JMDย 6,491
$80.3 MX$1,387
-48.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$52.9 JMDย 8,364
$87.6 MX$1,512
-39.55%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
May Pen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$172 JMDย 27.2K
$963 MX$16.6K
-82.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$215 JMDย 34.0K
$482 MX$8,326
-55.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$567 JMDย 89.6K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-65.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$431 JMDย 68.1K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-63.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
May Pen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$726 MX$12.5K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
11.42
-

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for May Pen: April 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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