Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and George Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $4,936 in George Town, rent and utilities included – about $44,700 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
238

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

George Town

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

$4,936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in George Town

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,936 in George Town.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
George Town $4,936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $7,405 in George Town.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
George Town $7,405

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $9,875 in George Town.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
George Town $9,875

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 75% less than in George Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, George Town is 266% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$30.24 KYD 24.80

-64.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$115 KYD 94.0

-62.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$16.97 KYD 13.91

-30.52%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$7.16 KYD 5.87

-45.95%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.99 KYD 2.45

-54.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$2.86 KYD 2.35

-70.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$7.10 KYD 5.82

-56.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$9.42 KYD 7.73

-46.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$4.67 KYD 3.83

-69.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$4.23 KYD 3.47

-47.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$4.40 KYD 3.61

-66.59%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$7.29 KYD 5.98

-65.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$55.9 KYD 45.87

-86.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$18.98 KYD 15.56

-58.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$19.38 KYD 15.89

-34.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$7.47 KYD 6.12

-61.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$3.62 KYD 2.96

-60.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$6.01 KYD 4.93

-57.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$7.95 KYD 6.52

-74.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$4.03 KYD 3.31

-50.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$3.96 KYD 3.24

-49.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$3.18 KYD 2.61

-62.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$2.25 KYD 1.85

-44.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$14.50 KYD 11.89

-69.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$25.15 KYD 20.62

-61.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$4.14 KYD 3.40

-61.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$5.37 KYD 4.40

-47.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$2.34 KYD 1.92

-75.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$79.7 KYD 65.4

-65.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$19.10 KYD 15.66

-73.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$3.86 KYD 3.16

-9.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$45.76 KYD 37.52

-88.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.65 KYD 1.35

-10.91%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$42.3K KYD 34.7K

-50.36%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$43.1K KYD 35.3K

-44.51%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$459 KYD 377

-81.67%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$118 KYD 96.4

-79.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$112 KYD 91.9

-74.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$213 KYD 174

-70.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$35.02 KYD 28.71

-16.79%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$18.78 KYD 15.40

-73.70%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$1,840 KYD 1,509

-88.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$26.2K KYD 21.5K

-84.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$85.9 KYD 70.4

-49.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$74.8 KYD 61.3

-42.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$138 KYD 113

-45.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$147 KYD 121

-39.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$2,943 KYD 2,413

-65.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$2,491 KYD 2,042

-84.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$5,699 KYD 4,674

-70.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$4,661 KYD 3,822

-76.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$8,627 KYD 7,074

-54.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$2,246 KYD 1,842

174.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$7,354 KYD 6,030

-89.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

43.12%

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 George Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

George Town

$2.5K 50.5% 566% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

George Town

$721 14.6% 179% $462

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

George Town

$457 9.3% 126% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

George Town

$689 14% 402% $552

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

George Town

$201 4.1% 77.6% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

George Town

$250 5.1% 244% $177

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

George Town

$127 2.6% 143% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $2,943 in George Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George Town pays 875% 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 $115 in George Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $721 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇾 George Town

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

28,089 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Cayman Islands Dollar KYD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 KYD = 1.22 USD

1 KYD = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KYD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Cayman Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.82 KYD (1 KYD = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.922 KYD (1 KYD = 1.08 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen George Town 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
George Town

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 George Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and George Town differ by about 308% in total monthly costs ($1,210 vs $4,936 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 875% lower in George Town. 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 $2,943 in George Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $4,936 in George Town – a 308% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 187% less than in George Town. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,936 in George Town, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in George Town. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and George Town are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 308% less than in George Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.