Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Elizabeth City, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Elizabeth City, NC
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Elizabeth City, NC Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Elizabeth City, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Elizabeth City, NC

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 Elizabeth City, NC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Elizabeth City, NC $2,456

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,522 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Elizabeth City, NC $3,522

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,588 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Elizabeth City, NC $4,588

Playa del Carmen is about 51% cheaper than Elizabeth City, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Elizabeth City, NC is 81% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$11.95 $11.95

-9.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$34.93 $34.93

26.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$11.60 $11.60

1.38%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$5.84 $5.84

-36.99%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.52 $2.52

-46.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$2.04 $2.04

-59.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$6.14 $6.14

-50.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$7.09 $7.09

-30.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.95 $0.95

54.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$3.65 $3.65

-39.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$3.00 $3.00

-50.67%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$4.78 $4.78

-47.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$10.81 $10.81

-30.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$10.01 $10.01

-20.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$17.49 $17.49

-28.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$4.38 $4.38

-36.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.28 $1.28

11.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$4.39 $4.39

-40.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.53 $4.53

-52.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.16 $2.16

-6.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.21 $2.21

-9.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$2.01 $2.01

-43.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$2.23 $2.23

-46.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$8.86 $8.86

-51.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$14.74 $14.74

-32.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.12 $2.12

-27.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.65 $2.65

0.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.81 $1.81

-70.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.92 $2.92

67.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.93 $1.93

77.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$18.19 $18.19

-70.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.00 $1.00

45.00%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$30.6K $30.6K

-30.84%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$25.6K $25.6K

-10.18%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$183 $183

-53.37%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$56.8 $56.8

-58.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$59.6 $59.6

-52.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$45.64 $45.64

36.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$15.06 $15.06

-66.14%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$1,491 $1,491

-86.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$24.9K $24.9K

-84.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$54.7 $54.7

-18.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$40.11 $40.11

3.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$87.8 $87.8

-17.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$143 $143

-37.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,584 $1,584

-38.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$1,279 $1,279

-70.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$2,494 $2,494

-32.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$2,164 $2,164

-49.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$2,870 $2,870

37.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$2,355 $2,355

160.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.61

73.22%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Elizabeth City, NC: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Elizabeth City, NC

$1.3K 52.1% 243% $906

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Elizabeth City, NC

$373 15.2% 44.4% $115

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Elizabeth City, NC

$264 10.7% 31.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Elizabeth City, NC

$299 12.2% 118% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Elizabeth City, NC

$146 6% 31% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Elizabeth City, NC

$76 3.1% 4.6% $3.3

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Elizabeth City, NC

$20 * 0.8% 61.7% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,584 in Elizabeth City, NC. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $35.00 in Elizabeth City, NC. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $373 in Elizabeth City, NC – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Elizabeth City, NC

🕒 Local time

22:18 10:18 PM

23:18 11:18 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

18,683

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Elizabeth City, NC 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Elizabeth City, NC

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 Elizabeth City, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC – roughly 104% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,685 in Elizabeth City, NC. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $35.00 in Elizabeth City, NC. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Elizabeth City, NC, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Elizabeth City, NC at $2,456. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Elizabeth City, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Elizabeth City, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.