Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Fort-de-france

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,203 a month against $2,108 in Fort-de-france, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Fort-de-france
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Fort-de-france Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,203

/mo nomad

Fort-de-france

🇲🇶 Martinique

$2,108

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Fort-de-france

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 Fort-de-france actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,108 in Fort-de-france.

Playa del Carmen $1,203
Fort-de-france $2,108

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,084 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,613 in Fort-de-france.

Playa del Carmen $2,084
Fort-de-france $3,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,965 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,118 in Fort-de-france.

Playa del Carmen $2,965
Fort-de-france $5,118

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 43% less than in Fort-de-france, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Fort-de-france is 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.72 MX$198

$22.36 €19.93

-52.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.71 MX$790

$101 €89.7

-57.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 MX$219

$15.18 €13.53

-21.87%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.3

$4.89 €4.36

-22.29%

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

$1.29 MX$23.80

$4.45 €3.97

-71.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.23

$3.99 €3.55

-79.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 MX$56.8

$8.05 €7.17

-61.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 MX$92.2

$5.70 €5.08

-12.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.53

$1.71 €1.53

-12.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 MX$41.85

$1.91 €1.70

18.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 MX$25.83

$3.52 €3.14

-60.23%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$45.72

$6.18 €5.51

-60.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.25 MX$134

$18.97 €16.90

-61.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.09 MX$150

$21.75 €19.38

-62.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.87 MX$238

$20.17 €17.98

-36.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 MX$53.5

$3.74 €3.33

-22.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.34 €1.19

7.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 MX$48.27

$2.95 €2.63

-11.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 MX$39.41

$6.76 €6.02

-68.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.80

$1.90 €1.69

4.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.03

$2.29 €2.04

-17.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.35

$1.64 €1.46

-29.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 MX$22.84

$0.73 €0.65

68.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MX$82.3

$11.96 €10.66

-62.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 MX$178

$8.22 €7.32

16.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 MX$29.60

$1.69 €1.51

-5.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 MX$49.63

$2.83 €2.52

-5.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.46

$1.60 €1.43

-64.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.54 MX$491

$49.68 €44.28

-46.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 MX$88.6

$4.28 €3.81

11.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.29 MX$60.9

$2.13 €1.90

54.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$99.7

$42.33 €37.73

-87.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.08

$2.56 €2.28

-42.97%

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

$21.1K MX$390.0K

$35.0K €31.2K

-39.81%

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

$23.4K MX$433.5K

$33.3K €29.7K

-29.66%

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

$83.9 MX$1,552

$158 €141

-46.98%

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

$23.11 MX$428

$11.04 €9.84

109.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.32 MX$524

$47.12 €42.00

-39.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 MX$975

$38.75 €34.53

36.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.94 MX$572

$18.03 €16.07

71.60%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$91.8

$11.14 €9.92

-55.48%

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

$203 MX$3,761

$509 €454

-60.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,245 MX$97.0K

$3,975 €3,543

31.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.12 MX$816

$110 €97.8

-59.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.37 MX$765

$28.28 €25.20

46.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 MX$1,366

$153 €137

-51.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 MX$1,665

$213 €190

-57.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$988 MX$18.3K

$1,167 €1,040

-15.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,074

$735 €655

-47.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 MX$30.8K

$1,972 €1,758

-15.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 MX$20.1K

$1,841 €1,641

-41.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$72.9K

$2,298 €2,048

71.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,102 MX$112.9K

$2,690 €2,397

126.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$907 MX$16.8K

$2,244 €2,000

-59.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

1.45

689.66%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 8, 2026

Last update for Fort-de-france: November 9, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Fort-de-france

$735 34.9% 92.2% $353

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.6%

Fort-de-france

$430 20.4% 65.4% $170

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$201 16.7%

Fort-de-france

$368 17.5% 83.6% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$135 11.3%

Fort-de-france

$216 10.3% 59.9% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Fort-de-france

$227 10.8% 102% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$63 5.2%

Fort-de-france

$61 2.9% 2.6% $1.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Fort-de-france

$71 3.4% 41.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $988 in Playa del Carmen and $1,167 in Fort-de-france. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort-de-france pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $101 in Fort-de-france for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $430 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇶 Fort-de-france

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

76,512 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.5 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.76 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Fort-de-france 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Fort-de-france

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 Fort-de-france: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Fort-de-france. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 60% 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: $988 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,167 in Fort-de-france. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Fort-de-france. 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 $43 versus $101 in Fort-de-france. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,203 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,108 in Fort-de-france, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Fort-de-france. 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 at $1,203 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 43% less than in Fort-de-france. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.