Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne, FL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,171 in Melbourne, FL, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

151

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne, FL
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Melbourne, FL Living Index
57

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

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Melbourne, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,171

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,171 per month in Melbourne, FL vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Melbourne, FL $3,171
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $4,221 per month in Melbourne, FL vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Melbourne, FL $4,221
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,271 per month in Melbourne, FL vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Melbourne, FL $5,271
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Melbourne, FL costs about 164% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne, FL sits 135% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.43 $25.43

$10.67 MX$200

138.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$43.80 MX$823

74.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.06 $10.06

$11.79 MX$221

-14.67%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$3.79 MX$71.1

32.72%

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

$3.01 $3.01

$1.30 MX$24.36

131.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.83 MX$15.65

132.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 $5.17

$3.15 MX$59.1

64.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.58 $7.58

$4.93 MX$92.7

53.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.41 MX$26.46

-37.59%

White Bread (500g)

$4.14 $4.14

$2.20 MX$41.23

88.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.47 MX$27.66

108.84%

Eggs

$5.75 $5.75

$2.50 MX$46.89

130.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 $13.29

$7.29 MX$137

82.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$7.95 MX$149

39.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.87 $14.87

$12.86 MX$242

15.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$2.90 MX$54.4

62.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.38 MX$25.98

10.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.49 MX$46.78

79.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.03 MX$38.12

169.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.02 MX$38.03

45.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.90 MX$35.74

76.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.14 MX$21.49

101.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.24 MX$23.27

108.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.43 $9.43

$4.27 MX$80.2

120.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.49 $15.49

$9.81 MX$184

57.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.59 MX$29.78

30.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.75 MX$51.6

16.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.51 MX$9.67

198.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.16 $41.16

$27.39 MX$514

50.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.09 $10.09

$4.76 MX$89.4

111.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$3.25 MX$61.0

-44.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.53 MX$28.70

-32.68%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$21.2K MX$398.4K

29.97%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$23.3K MX$436.9K

13.52%

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

$173 $173

$83.5 MX$1,568

106.72%

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

$59.3 $59.3

$23.19 MX$435

155.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.7 $75.7

$27.61 MX$519

174.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.38 $36.38

$56.4 MX$1,060

-35.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.91 $2.91

$28.19 MX$529

-89.68%

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 $12.55

$5.00 MX$93.9

151.00%

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

$912 $912

$207 MX$3,889

340.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K $17.9K

$5,231 MX$98.2K

241.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 $73.6

$43.45 MX$816

69.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.1 $58.1

$42.54 MX$799

36.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$72.8 MX$1,367

60.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$88.4 MX$1,660

15.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,741 $1,741

$995 MX$18.7K

74.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,816 $1,816

$382 MX$7,181

374.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,261 $2,261

$1,674 MX$31.4K

35.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,246 $2,246

$1,081 MX$20.3K

107.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,041 $3,041

$3,909 MX$73.4K

-22.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,378 $2,378

$6,138 MX$115.3K

-61.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,713 $3,713

$832 MX$15.6K

346.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

11.45

-40.09%

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

Last update for Melbourne, FL: 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

Melbourne, FL

$1.8K 57.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 78.9% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne, FL

$407 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 36.8% $150

Eating Out

Melbourne, FL

$355 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 43.5% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne, FL

$308 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 56.3% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne, FL

$158 5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 29.5% $46

Getting Around

Melbourne, FL

$66 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 24% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne, FL

$61 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 8.1% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,741 in Melbourne, FL versus $995 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 Melbourne, FL are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Melbourne, FL versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $407 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Melbourne, FL

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

Same time as Melbourne, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,068

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne, FL Playa del Carmen 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne, FL
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

Melbourne, FL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne, FL is pricier by about 164%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,757 per month in Melbourne, FL and $1,804 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 $995 there versus $1,741 in Melbourne, FL.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,171 in Melbourne, FL and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 62% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Melbourne, FL at $3,171. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne, FL 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.

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