Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palm Coast, FL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,502 in Palm Coast, FL, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Palm Coast, FL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,502
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,502 per month in Palm Coast, FL vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Palm Coast, FL $2,502
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,504 per month in Palm Coast, FL vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Palm Coast, FL $3,504
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,506 per month in Palm Coast, FL vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Palm Coast, FL $4,506
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Palm Coast, FL costs about 107% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Palm Coast, FL sits 85% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Palm Coast, FL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.23 $17.23
$10.76 MX$199
60.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.3 $80.3
$43.03 MX$795
86.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.43 $9.43
$11.79 MX$218
-20.02%
Cappuccino
$4.96 $4.96
$3.87 MX$71.4
28.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 $2.19
$1.37 MX$25.29
59.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 $1.87
$0.84 MX$15.44
122.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.69 $6.69
$3.10 MX$57.3
115.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.36 $7.36
$5.07 MX$93.6
45.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Palm Coast, FL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.93 $0.93
$1.44 MX$26.55
-35.42%
White Bread (500g)
$3.70 $3.70
$2.23 MX$41.23
65.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.37 $3.37
$1.47 MX$27.17
129.25%
Eggs
$4.05 $4.05
$2.53 MX$46.71
60.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.19 $12.19
$7.30 MX$135
66.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.29 $11.29
$7.86 MX$145
43.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.53 $14.53
$12.79 MX$236
13.60%
Apples (1kg)
$6.47 $6.47
$2.90 MX$53.6
123.10%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 $1.54
$1.44 MX$26.53
6.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.65 $5.65
$2.55 MX$47.07
121.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.10 $5.10
$2.06 MX$38.03
147.57%
Potato (1kg)
$4.49 $4.49
$2.00 MX$36.97
124.50%
Onion (1kg)
$3.70 $3.70
$2.01 MX$37.07
84.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.92 $1.92
$1.19 MX$22.02
61.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.63 $2.63
$1.26 MX$23.23
108.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.23 $9.23
$4.40 MX$81.4
109.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.86 $9.86
$9.59 MX$177
2.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 $1.78
$1.59 MX$29.41
11.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 $2.32
$2.81 MX$51.9
-17.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Palm Coast, FL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.57 MX$10.47
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.82 MX$514
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.41 $3.41
$4.98 MX$92.1
-31.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.45 $1.45
$3.50 MX$64.6
-58.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$59.0 $59.0
$5.40 MX$99.8
992.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 $0.88
$1.47 MX$27.08
-40.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.3K $37.3K
$21.0K MX$387.8K
77.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.7K $24.7K
$23.9K MX$441.8K
3.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palm Coast, FL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$229 $229
$84.2 MX$1,556
172.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$45.66 $45.66
$23.99 MX$443
90.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.17 $40.17
$29.02 MX$536
38.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Palm Coast, FL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.94 $27.94
$63.0 MX$1,164
-55.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$29.14 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.32 $15.32
$4.94 MX$91.3
210.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Palm Coast, FL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$940 $940
$204 MX$3,763
361.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.6K $24.6K
$3,941 MX$72.8K
523.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Palm Coast, FL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.7 $57.7
$43.60 MX$806
32.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 $39.39
$43.12 MX$797
-8.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.8 $73.8
$75.8 MX$1,400
-2.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 $110
$88.6 MX$1,637
23.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Palm Coast, FL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,521 $1,521
$1,008 MX$18.6K
50.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,306 $1,306
$374 MX$6,911
249.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,972 $1,972
$1,708 MX$31.6K
15.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,822 $1,822
$1,106 MX$20.4K
64.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,944 MX$72.9K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Palm Coast, FL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,894 $3,894
$754 MX$13.9K
416.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.57
11.45
-42.62%

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

Last update for Palm Coast, FL: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Palm Coast, FL
$1.3K
Playa del Carmen
$374 71.4% $932
Groceries & Markets
Palm Coast, FL
$396
Playa del Carmen
$258 34.7% $137
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palm Coast, FL
$315
Playa del Carmen
$137 56.5% $178
Eating Out
Palm Coast, FL
$290
Playa del Carmen
$202 30.3% $88
Clothing & Footwear
Palm Coast, FL
$126
Playa del Carmen
$113 10.6% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Palm Coast, FL
$59
Playa del Carmen
$73 24.4% $14
Getting Around
Palm Coast, FL
$11 *
Playa del Carmen
$53 392% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,521 in Palm Coast, FL 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 416% higher in Palm Coast, FL, 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 $80.0 in Palm Coast, FL versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $396 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Palm Coast, FL
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
05:10 5:10 AM
04:10 4:10 AM
1 h behind Palm Coast, FL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
68,013
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Palm Coast, FL Playa del Carmen 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Palm Coast, 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
Palm Coast, FL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Palm Coast, FL?
Yes – Palm Coast, FL is pricier by about 107%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,753 per month in Palm Coast, FL and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Palm Coast, FL and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,502 in Palm Coast, FL and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 107%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $940 per month in Palm Coast, FL and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Palm Coast, FL or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Palm Coast, FL at $2,502. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Palm Coast, FL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Palm Coast, FL or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Palm Coast, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Palm Coast, FL vs other spots: cost of living compared

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