Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Green Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Green Island: $1,009 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Green Island
Learn more

Green Island Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Green Island

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Green Island

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 Green Island actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,009 in Green Island.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Green Island $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,670 in Green Island.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Green Island $1,670

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,332 in Green Island.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Green Island $2,332

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$13.69 JMD 2,159

-20.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$810

$76.0 JMD 12.0K

-42.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$8.07 JMD 1,273

45.97%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.2

$5.33 JMD 840

-28.52%

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

$1.28 MX$23.96

$1.20 JMD 190

6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.63

$0.74 JMD 117

5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.2

$2.17 JMD 342

46.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.2

$3.06 JMD 482

61.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.28

$4.10 JMD 646

-65.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.43

$3.70 JMD 584

-40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.48

$1.62 JMD 255

-12.35%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.14

$3.47 JMD 547

-27.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$11.45 JMD 1,806

-36.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.34 JMD 1,000

21.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$10.40 JMD 1,640

22.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$6.09 JMD 960

-54.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.56

$3.92 JMD 618

-65.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.66

$7.21 JMD 1,137

-64.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.67

$3.12 JMD 492

-32.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.22

$3.17 JMD 500

-38.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.24

$2.70 JMD 426

-30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

$3.10 JMD 489

-62.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.03

$1.51 JMD 238

-21.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.3

$9.22 JMD 1,454

-53.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$11.28 JMD 1,779

-11.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.59

$2.80 JMD 441

-43.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.91

$4.09 JMD 644

-34.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.9

$1.24 JMD 196

300.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.2

$3.12 JMD 492

6.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$6.16 JMD 971

-12.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.98

$1.47 JMD 232

-2.04%

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

$20.7K MX$386.2K

$43.5K JMD 6.9M

-52.46%

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

$23.5K MX$438.5K

$33.4K JMD 5.3M

-29.65%

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

$84.8 MX$1,584

$170 JMD 26.7K

-49.98%

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

$23.41 MX$437

$29.28 JMD 4,618

-20.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$535

$53.1 JMD 8,368

-46.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.0

$13.48 JMD 2,126

-61.87%

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

$207 MX$3,860

$355 JMD 55.9K

-41.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.4K

$8,242 JMD 1.3M

-52.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$810

$24.02 JMD 3,788

80.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$774

$31.52 JMD 4,970

31.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,386

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

-5.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,668

$103 JMD 16.2K

-12.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

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 Green Island: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Green Island

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Green Island

$384 38.1% 50.8% $129

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Green Island

$222 22.1% 9.9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Green Island

$252 25% 84% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Green Island

$107 10.6% 4.6% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Green Island

$27 * 2.7% 60% $40

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Green Island

$17 * 1.7% 66.6% $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 $76 in Green Island for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $384 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇲 Green Island

🕒 Local time

11:09 11:09 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,546

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Green Island 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Green Island

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 Green Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Green Island differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $1,009 including rent). Green Island is meaningfully more affordable – 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 Green Island 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 34% 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 $1,009 in Green Island – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Green Island 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.