Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Golden Grove

For one person, living is cheaper in Golden Grove: $1,008 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Golden Grove
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Golden Grove Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Golden Grove

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Golden Grove

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 Golden Grove actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,008 in Golden Grove.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Golden Grove $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,665 in Golden Grove.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Golden Grove $1,665

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,322 in Golden Grove.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Golden Grove $2,322

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 19% more expensive than in Golden Grove, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Golden Grove 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$13.78 JMD 2,176

-20.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$74.7 JMD 11.8K

-41.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$8.06 JMD 1,273

46.15%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$5.45 JMD 860

-30.09%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.18 JMD 187

8.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.69 JMD 109

13.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.16 JMD 341

46.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$3.21 JMD 507

53.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$4.15 JMD 655

-66.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$3.71 JMD 587

-40.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.56 JMD 247

-8.97%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$3.46 JMD 546

-27.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.23 JMD 1,774

-35.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.13 JMD 968

25.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$10.14 JMD 1,600

25.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$6.17 JMD 974

-54.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$3.83 JMD 604

-64.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$7.32 JMD 1,156

-65.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$2.96 JMD 467

-28.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$3.15 JMD 498

-38.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$2.61 JMD 412

-27.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$3.14 JMD 496

-63.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.44 JMD 227

-18.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$9.30 JMD 1,469

-53.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.23 JMD 1,773

-11.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$2.80 JMD 442

-43.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$3.98 JMD 628

-32.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.27 JMD 201

291.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$3.13 JMD 494

6.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$6.40 JMD 1,011

-16.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.45 JMD 228

-0.69%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$43.4K JMD 6.9M

-52.39%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

-28.05%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$171 JMD 27.0K

-50.42%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$29.71 JMD 4,692

-21.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$53.1 JMD 8,390

-46.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$13.32 JMD 2,102

-61.41%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$367 JMD 58.0K

-43.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$8,099 JMD 1.3M

-51.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$23.46 JMD 3,705

84.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$32.03 JMD 5,058

29.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$79.2 JMD 12.5K

-6.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$101 JMD 16.0K

-11.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

9.45

21.16%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Golden Grove: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Golden Grove

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Golden Grove

$380 37.7% 49.3% $126

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Golden Grove

$225 22.3% 11% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Golden Grove

$254 25.2% 85.5% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Golden Grove

$106 10.5% 5% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Golden Grove

$27 * 2.6% 60.4% $41

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Golden Grove

$17 * 1.7% 66.5% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $75 in Golden Grove for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $380 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇲 Golden Grove

🕒 Local time

03:23 3:23 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

3,058

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.68 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Golden Grove 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Golden Grove

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 Golden Grove: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,008 in Golden Grove, so Golden Grove is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,513 in Golden Grove to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 33% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,008 in Golden Grove – Golden Grove is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Golden Grove gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.