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Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Elk Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Elk

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 59% more expensive than Elk without rent, and 6.8% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 5.2% cheaper than Elk without rent, and 17.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Elk
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 MX$210
$8.11 zล‚ย 29.45
46.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.90 MX$740
$41.20 zล‚ย 150
1.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.55 MX$186
$6.86 zล‚ย 24.91
53.79%
Cappuccino
$3.60 MX$63.5
$2.11 zล‚ย 7.66
70.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.50 MX$26.45
$2.09 zล‚ย 7.59
-28.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 MX$16.09
$1.06 zล‚ย 3.85
-14.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.08 MX$54.4
$4.02 zล‚ย 14.61
-23.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 MX$78.8
$4.16 zล‚ย 15.10
7.45%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Elk
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 MX$24.54
$1.06 zล‚ย 3.83
31.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.90 MX$33.47
$1.29 zล‚ย 4.67
47.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.60 MX$28.27
$1.82 zล‚ย 6.62
-12.09%
Eggs
$2.60 MX$45.97
$2.62 zล‚ย 9.53
-0.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.36 MX$148
$4.96 zล‚ย 18.02
68.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.64 MX$152
$6.64 zล‚ย 24.11
30.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 MX$192
$13.16 zล‚ย 47.76
-17.10%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 MX$45.98
$1.09 zล‚ย 3.96
139.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$25.46
$1.86 zล‚ย 6.75
-22.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 MX$34.55
$1.97 zล‚ย 7.15
-0.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$37.34
$2.77 zล‚ย 10.05
-23.47%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 MX$32.87
$0.98 zล‚ย 3.56
89.80%
Onion (1kg)
$2.22 MX$39.20
$1.14 zล‚ย 4.13
94.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 MX$17.99
$1.36 zล‚ย 4.94
-25.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 MX$18.36
$0.52 zล‚ย 1.88
100.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.05 MX$71.5
$5.37 zล‚ย 19.50
-24.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.18 MX$180
$7.66 zล‚ย 27.81
32.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 MX$29.79
$1.11 zล‚ย 4.02
52.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 MX$46.25
$1.38 zล‚ย 5.01
89.86%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Elk
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.09
$1.06 zล‚ย 3.85
-51.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.52 MX$468
$32.90 zล‚ย 119
-19.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 MX$55.7
$2.23 zล‚ย 8.11
41.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.46 MX$43.49
$0.52 zล‚ย 1.90
373.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.26 MX$57.5
$13.76 zล‚ย 49.96
-76.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 MX$23.36
$1.74 zล‚ย 6.33
-24.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.1K MX$531.0K
$31.9K zล‚ย 115.9K
-5.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$419.3K
$31.6K zล‚ย 114.7K
-24.81%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Elk
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,474
$308 zล‚ย 1,119
-72.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.86 MX$404
$6.70 zล‚ย 24.32
241.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.04 MX$530
$13.51 zล‚ย 49.04
122.35%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Elk
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.9 MX$916
$36.96 zล‚ย 134
40.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.30 MX$323
$19.31 zล‚ย 70.1
-5.23%
Cinema Ticket
$5.12 MX$90.4
$6.64 zล‚ย 24.12
-22.89%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Elk
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,541
$319 zล‚ย 1,159
-37.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,318 MX$93.9K
$5,500 zล‚ย 20.0K
-3.32%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Elk
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.73 MX$631
$83.2 zล‚ย 302
-57.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.27 MX$711
$27.65 zล‚ย 100
45.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.2 MX$1,398
$86.9 zล‚ย 316
-8.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,576
$88.4 zล‚ย 321
0.98%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Elk
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$947 MX$16.7K
$541 zล‚ย 1,965
74.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$483 MX$8,525
$470 zล‚ย 1,706
2.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,599 MX$28.2K
$943 zล‚ย 3,423
69.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,211 MX$21.4K
$857 zล‚ย 3,112
41.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,996 MX$70.5K
$2,391 zล‚ย 8,680
67.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,402 MX$113.0K
$2,106 zล‚ย 7,647
203.94%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Elk
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$730 MX$12.9K
$1,318 zล‚ย 4,786
-44.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
7
63.14%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

Last update for Elk: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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