Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cruz Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,911 in Cruz Bay, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cruz Bay

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$2,911

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Cruz Bay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Cruz Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,911 in Cruz Bay.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cruz Bay $2,911

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,707 in Cruz Bay.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cruz Bay $4,707

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $6,503 in Cruz Bay.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cruz Bay $6,503

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 59% less than in Cruz Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Cruz Bay is 114% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$30.27 $30.27

-63.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$94.2 $94.2

-53.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$16.90 $16.90

-30.30%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$9.04 $9.04

-57.85%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$2.99 $2.99

-57.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$4.09 $4.09

-80.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$8.11 $8.11

-60.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$9.26 $9.26

-46.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$8.08 $8.08

-82.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$4.87 $4.87

-48.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$15.71 $15.71

-50.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$9.01 $9.01

-69.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$24.63 $24.63

-59.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$354 $354

-76.02%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$138 $138

-82.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$59.0 $59.0

-51.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$90.2 $90.2

-36.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

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

$207 MX$3,836

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$13.0K $13.0K

-69.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$1,778 $1,778

-44.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$1,509 $1,509

-74.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$3,525 $3,525

-51.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$3,533 $3,533

-69.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

$10.9K $10.9K

-63.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

$6,147 $6,147

-88.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

129.00%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cruz Bay: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cruz Bay

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cruz Bay

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cruz Bay

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cruz Bay

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cruz Bay

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cruz Bay

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cruz Bay

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,778 in Cruz Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cruz Bay pays about 8.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $94 in Cruz Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $273 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇮 Cruz Bay

🕒 Local time

00:28 12:28 AM

01:28 1:28 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,743

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cruz Bay 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cruz Bay

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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,911 in Cruz Bay, so Playa del Carmen is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 88% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,778 in Cruz Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $94 in Cruz Bay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,911 in Cruz Bay – Playa del Carmen is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,911 in Cruz Bay, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Cruz Bay. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Cruz Bay on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.