Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montego Bay and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Montego Bay and in Playa del Carmen: $1,169 and $1,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index
59

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

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Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,169 per month in Montego Bay vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Montego Bay $1,169
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,141 per month in Montego Bay vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Montego Bay $2,141
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,113 per month in Montego Bay vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Montego Bay $3,113
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Montego Bay is about 3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montego Bay and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Montego Bay 13% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 JMD 1,760

$10.76 MX$199

3.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

$43.03 MX$795

72.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 JMD 1,319

$11.79 MX$218

-29.18%

Cappuccino

$5.22 JMD 825

$3.87 MX$71.4

34.88%

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

$0.94 JMD 149

$1.37 MX$25.29

-31.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 JMD 110

$0.84 MX$15.44

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 JMD 343

$3.10 MX$57.3

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 JMD 484

$5.07 MX$93.6

-39.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.30 JMD 522

$1.44 MX$26.55

129.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 JMD 413

$2.23 MX$41.23

17.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 JMD 217

$1.47 MX$27.17

-6.12%

Eggs

$3.48 JMD 550

$2.53 MX$46.71

37.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 JMD 1,775

$7.30 MX$135

53.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 JMD 968

$7.86 MX$145

-22.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.05 JMD 1,430

$12.79 MX$236

-29.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 JMD 637

$2.90 MX$53.6

38.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 JMD 400

$1.44 MX$26.53

75.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.28 JMD 1,151

$2.55 MX$47.07

185.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 JMD 388

$2.06 MX$38.03

18.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 JMD 386

$2.00 MX$36.97

22.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 JMD 420

$2.01 MX$37.07

32.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 JMD 403

$1.19 MX$22.02

114.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 JMD 121

$1.26 MX$23.23

-38.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 JMD 1,447

$4.40 MX$81.4

108.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 JMD 1,760

$9.59 MX$177

16.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 JMD 442

$1.59 MX$29.41

76.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 JMD 640

$2.81 MX$51.9

44.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 JMD 152

$0.57 MX$10.47

68.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 JMD 147

$4.98 MX$92.1

-81.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.17 JMD 501

$3.50 MX$64.6

-9.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.25 JMD 988

$5.40 MX$99.8

15.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 JMD 214

$1.47 MX$27.08

-8.16%

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

$44.2K JMD 7.0M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

110.45%

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

$32.6K JMD 5.2M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

36.53%

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

$170 JMD 26.8K

$84.2 MX$1,556

101.28%

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

$22.58 JMD 3,567

$23.99 MX$443

-5.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.32 JMD 7,477

$29.02 MX$536

63.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 JMD 7,038

$63.0 MX$1,164

-29.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 JMD 1,367

$4.94 MX$91.3

75.10%

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

$355 JMD 56.0K

$204 MX$3,763

74.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,218 JMD 1.3M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

108.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.50 JMD 3,713

$43.60 MX$806

-46.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.80 JMD 4,866

$43.12 MX$797

-28.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.9 JMD 10.7K

$75.8 MX$1,400

-10.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$88.6 MX$1,637

15.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$318 JMD 50.2K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-68.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 JMD 35.1K

$374 MX$6,911

-40.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 JMD 147.6K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-45.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 JMD 147.6K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-15.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 JMD 94.0K

$754 MX$13.9K

-21.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

11.45

-17.47%

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

Last update for Montego Bay: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Montego Bay

$323 27.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 20% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montego Bay

$239 20.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 42.7% $102

Accommodation & Living

Montego Bay

$222 19%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 68.2% $152

Eating Out

Montego Bay

$200 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 1% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Montego Bay

$101 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 12% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Montego Bay

$62 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 17.8% $11

Getting Around

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 155% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $318 in Montego Bay versus $1,008 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 run about 27% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Montego Bay versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:34 7:34 PM

Same time as Montego Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,115

149,923

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montego Bay Playa del Carmen 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Montego Bay
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 4% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,753 per month in Montego Bay and $1,816 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 Montego Bay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Montego Bay and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Montego Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,169, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Montego Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montego Bay costs $1,169 versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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