Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Negril and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Negril: $927 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Negril
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Negril Living Index
58

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

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Negril

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$927

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $927 in Negril versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Negril $927
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,478 in Negril versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Negril $1,478
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,029 in Negril versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Negril $2,029
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Negril costs roughly 23% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Negril 32% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.68 JMD 1,526

$10.92 MX$204

-11.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.26 JMD 7,767

$43.37 MX$810

13.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 JMD 1,269

$11.78 MX$220

-31.66%

Cappuccino

$2.05 JMD 323

$3.81 MX$71.2

-46.19%

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

$1.15 JMD 181

$1.28 MX$23.96

-10.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$0.78 MX$14.63

-5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 JMD 341

$3.17 MX$59.2

-31.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 JMD 503

$4.93 MX$92.2

-35.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.02 JMD 634

$1.41 MX$26.28

185.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.37 JMD 532

$2.22 MX$41.43

51.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 JMD 249

$1.42 MX$26.48

11.27%

Eggs

$3.51 JMD 554

$2.52 MX$47.14

39.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 JMD 1,773

$7.26 MX$136

54.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.33 JMD 998

$7.70 MX$144

-17.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.19 JMD 1,606

$12.69 MX$237

-19.70%

Apples (1kg)

$6.06 JMD 956

$2.78 MX$52.0

117.99%

Banana (1kg)

$3.96 JMD 624

$1.37 MX$25.56

189.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.47 JMD 1,177

$2.55 MX$47.66

192.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 JMD 471

$2.12 MX$39.67

41.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 JMD 497

$1.94 MX$36.22

62.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 JMD 406

$1.89 MX$35.24

36.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.99 JMD 472

$1.15 MX$21.42

160.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 JMD 227

$1.18 MX$22.03

22.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,471

$4.30 MX$80.3

116.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.27 JMD 1,776

$9.95 MX$186

13.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 JMD 460

$1.58 MX$29.59

84.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 JMD 622

$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)

$1.22 JMD 193

$4.97 MX$92.9

-75.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 JMD 509

$3.33 MX$62.2

-3.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.36 JMD 1,002

$5.36 MX$100

18.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 JMD 232

$1.44 MX$26.98

2.08%

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

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

$20.7K MX$386.2K

111.51%

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

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

$23.5K MX$438.5K

39.00%

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

$166 JMD 26.2K

$84.8 MX$1,584

96.11%

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

$29.95 JMD 4,722

$23.41 MX$437

27.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.9 JMD 8,179

$28.66 MX$535

80.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 JMD 2,090

$5.14 MX$96.0

157.98%

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

$362 JMD 57.0K

$207 MX$3,860

75.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,121 JMD 1.3M

$3,927 MX$73.4K

106.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.75 JMD 3,745

$43.35 MX$810

-45.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.90 JMD 4,873

$41.44 MX$774

-25.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 JMD 12.1K

$74.2 MX$1,386

3.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$89.3 MX$1,668

16.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 JMD 158.5K

$980 MX$18.3K

2.61%

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)

$735 MX$13.7K

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 Negril: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Negril

$378 40.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 32.6% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Negril

$248 26.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 44.8% $111

Eating Out

Negril

$151 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 34.1% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Negril

$106 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 5.5% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Negril

$27 * 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 154% $41

Getting Around

Negril

$17 * 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 191% $33

Accommodation & Living

Negril

- * 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

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,005 in Negril and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49 in Negril vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Negril

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

Same time as Negril

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,779

149,923

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 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).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Negril Playa del Carmen 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Negril
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

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

Negril and Playa del Carmen differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($927 vs $1,204 including rent). Negril is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,390 in Negril and $1,806 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: $1,005 in Negril versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $362 in Negril versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $49 in Negril. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $927 in Negril versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Negril but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Negril 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.