Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Fort Myers, FL

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,034 in Fort Myers, FL, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 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
147

Cost of Living Index in Fort Myers, FL
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Fort Myers, FL Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Fort Myers, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,034

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Fort Myers, FL

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,034 in Fort Myers, FL.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Fort Myers, FL $3,034

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,394 in Fort Myers, FL.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Fort Myers, FL $4,394

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,753 in Fort Myers, FL.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Fort Myers, FL $5,753

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 60% less than in Fort Myers, FL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Fort Myers, FL is 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$24.92 $24.92

-56.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$78.7 $78.7

-45.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$12.46 $12.46

-5.38%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$4.49 $4.49

-13.81%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.71 $2.71

-49.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.95 $1.95

-56.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$4.87 $4.87

-36.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$6.07 $6.07

-16.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.03 $1.03

39.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$4.60 $4.60

-51.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$4.97 $4.97

-70.42%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$4.05 $4.05

-37.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$9.48 $9.48

-23.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$10.57 $10.57

-25.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$19.79 $19.79

-35.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$6.15 $6.15

-52.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.47 $1.47

-2.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$4.26 $4.26

-40.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$5.44 $5.44

-62.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$2.75 $2.75

-27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$3.79 $3.79

-46.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$2.75 $2.75

-56.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.79 $1.79

-29.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$9.02 $9.02

-51.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$16.77 $16.77

-42.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.58 $2.58

-38.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.20 $2.20

27.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$2.01 $2.01

-71.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$39.37 $39.37

-29.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$3.98 $3.98

25.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.88 $1.88

86.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$23.65 $23.65

-77.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.03 $1.03

42.72%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$33.6K $33.6K

-37.63%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$25.9K $25.9K

-7.57%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$192 $192

-56.25%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$64.0 $64.0

-62.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$80.9 $80.9

-64.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$45.57 $45.57

38.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$19.95 $19.95

46.07%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$17.91 $17.91

-72.42%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$1,915 $1,915

-89.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$41.2K $41.2K

-90.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$46.85 $46.85

-6.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$41.22 $41.22

4.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$87.6 $87.6

-13.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$98.3 $98.3

-9.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$1,791 $1,791

-43.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$1,670 $1,670

-77.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$2,952 $2,952

-42.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$2,714 $2,714

-59.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$2,673 $2,673

47.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$2,693 $2,693

129.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$3,747 $3,747

-79.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.63

72.70%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Fort Myers, FL: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Fort Myers, FL

$1.7K 55% 347% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Fort Myers, FL

$416 13.7% 60.9% $158

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Fort Myers, FL

$346 11.4% 71% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Fort Myers, FL

$337 11.1% 146% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Fort Myers, FL

$123 4.1% 9.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Fort Myers, FL

$81 2.7% 11.7% $8.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Fort Myers, FL

$61 2% 15.7% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $1,791 in Fort Myers, FL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Myers, FL pays 397% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $79.0 in Fort Myers, FL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $416 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Fort Myers, FL

🕒 Local time

11:18 11:18 AM

12:18 12:18 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

68,190

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Fort Myers, FL 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Fort Myers, FL

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 Myers, FL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 151% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 397% lower in Fort Myers, FL. 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,791 in Fort Myers, FL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Fort Myers, FL. 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 $43.00 versus $79.0 in Fort Myers, FL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,034 in Fort Myers, FL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Fort Myers, FL. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Fort Myers, FL, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 151% less than in Fort Myers, FL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.