Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Duncans

For one person, living is cheaper in Duncans: $1,011 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Duncans
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Duncans Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Duncans

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Duncans

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 Duncans actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,011 in Duncans, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Duncans $1,011

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,673 in Duncans, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Duncans $1,673

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,336 in Duncans, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Duncans $2,336

Playa del Carmen costs about 19% more than Duncans, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Duncans are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Duncans 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$13.60 JMD 2,144

-19.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$75.7 JMD 11.9K

-42.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$8.14 JMD 1,284

44.72%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$5.44 JMD 858

-29.96%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.14 JMD 180

12.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.71 JMD 111

9.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.25 JMD 355

40.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.21 JMD 507

53.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$4.15 JMD 655

-66.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$3.73 JMD 588

-40.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.58 JMD 249

-10.13%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$3.58 JMD 565

-29.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.50 JMD 1,813

-36.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.21 JMD 979

23.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$10.34 JMD 1,631

22.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$6.01 JMD 947

-53.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$3.97 JMD 625

-65.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$7.54 JMD 1,190

-66.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$3.02 JMD 476

-29.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$3.32 JMD 523

-41.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.61 JMD 411

-27.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$3.01 JMD 475

-61.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.43 JMD 226

-17.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$9.48 JMD 1,494

-54.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.25 JMD 1,775

-11.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$2.78 JMD 439

-43.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$3.96 JMD 625

-32.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.27 JMD 200

291.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$3.20 JMD 505

4.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$6.23 JMD 983

-13.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.45 JMD 228

-0.69%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

-53.12%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

-27.02%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$171 JMD 27.0K

-50.50%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$29.64 JMD 4,674

-21.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$51.8 JMD 8,166

-44.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$13.41 JMD 2,115

-61.67%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$355 JMD 56.0K

-41.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$8,307 JMD 1.3M

-52.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$23.91 JMD 3,771

81.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$31.38 JMD 4,949

32.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

-5.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$103 JMD 16.3K

-13.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

9.45

21.16%

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 Duncans: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Duncans

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Duncans

$384 38% 50.7% $129

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Duncans

$224 22.1% 10.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Duncans

$253 25% 84.7% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Duncans

$107 10.6% 4.4% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Duncans

$27 * 2.7% 60.1% $40

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Duncans

$17 * 1.7% 65.7% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $76 in Duncans. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $384 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇲 Duncans

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

5,153

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Duncans 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Duncans

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 Duncans: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,517 in Duncans. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,011 in Duncans. That’s a gap of about 19%.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $355 in Duncans. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,011 in Duncans, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,011 in Duncans to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.