Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Passaic, NJ and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,737 in Passaic, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Passaic, NJ
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Passaic, NJ Living Index
59

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

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Passaic, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,737

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,737 in Passaic, NJ versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Passaic, NJ $2,737
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,186 in Passaic, NJ versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Passaic, NJ $4,186
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,634 in Passaic, NJ versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Passaic, NJ $5,634
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Passaic, NJ is roughly 127% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Passaic, NJ is 102% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.76 $18.76

$10.86 MX$201

72.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$44.21 MX$817

78.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.18 $13.18

$11.76 MX$217

12.07%

Cappuccino

$6.27 $6.27

$3.68 MX$68.0

70.38%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$1.34 MX$24.79

88.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.82 MX$15.24

85.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$3.06 MX$56.6

157.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 $7.16

$4.94 MX$91.2

44.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.47 MX$27.17

-10.20%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.22 MX$40.95

96.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$1.48 MX$27.32

320.27%

Eggs

$6.20 $6.20

$2.49 MX$45.99

149.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.19 $19.19

$7.52 MX$139

155.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 $10.40

$7.96 MX$147

30.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$12.57 MX$232

49.80%

Apples (1kg)

$6.11 $6.11

$2.78 MX$51.3

119.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.43 MX$26.37

49.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.62 MX$48.37

67.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$2.14 MX$39.49

150.47%

Potato (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.02 MX$37.38

100.99%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.99 MX$36.74

118.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.14 MX$21.01

168.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.20 MX$22.18

144.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.77 $14.77

$4.26 MX$78.7

246.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$10.02 MX$185

51.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.54 MX$28.41

16.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.66 MX$49.17

36.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.53 MX$9.73

267.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$120 $120

$27.51 MX$508

337.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 $2.97

$4.90 MX$90.6

-39.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.43 MX$63.5

-34.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.30 $41.30

$5.38 MX$99.4

667.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.45 MX$26.76

-21.38%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

32.00%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

13.16%

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

$174 $174

$85.4 MX$1,577

103.63%

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

$50.6 $50.6

$23.46 MX$434

115.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 $50.8

$28.43 MX$525

78.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.15 $41.15

$62.2 MX$1,149

-33.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$20.62 $20.62

$5.10 MX$94.3

304.31%

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

$1,988 $1,988

$201 MX$3,715

888.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K $16.1K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

307.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 $50.2

$44.39 MX$820

13.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.7 $51.7

$41.35 MX$764

25.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 $87.9

$72.7 MX$1,344

20.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$89.6 MX$1,656

15.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,816 $1,816

$979 MX$18.1K

85.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 $1,295

$373 MX$6,887

247.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$1,681 MX$31.1K

50.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,403 $2,403

$1,095 MX$20.2K

119.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,576 $2,576

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-34.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,362 $2,362

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-61.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,739 $3,739

$738 MX$13.6K

406.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

11.45

-40.61%

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

Last update for Passaic, NJ: October 20, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Passaic, NJ

$1.3K 47.3%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 71.2% $922

Groceries & Markets

Passaic, NJ

$475 17.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 45.6% $217

Eating Out

Passaic, NJ

$335 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 40.2% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Passaic, NJ

$275 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 50.1% $138

Getting Around

Passaic, NJ

$142 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 63.7% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Passaic, NJ

$132 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 15.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Passaic, NJ

$82 3%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 12.1% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,816 in Passaic, NJ and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Passaic, NJ pays 407% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Passaic, NJ vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $475 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Passaic, NJ

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

01:01 1:01 AM

1 h behind Passaic, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,974

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Passaic, NJ Playa del Carmen 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Passaic, NJ
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

Passaic, NJ vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 127% lower than in Passaic, NJ. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 407% higher in Passaic, NJ, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,816 in Passaic, NJ versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 84% higher in Passaic, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $79.0 in Passaic, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,737 in Passaic, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Passaic, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 127% less than in Passaic, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.