Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Gros Islet

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,437 in Gros Islet, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Gros Islet

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

$1,437

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Gros Islet

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 Gros Islet actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,437 in Gros Islet.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Gros Islet $1,437

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,145 in Gros Islet.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Gros Islet $2,145

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,853 in Gros Islet.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Gros Islet $2,853

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 16% less than in Gros Islet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Gros Islet is 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$7.55 EC$20.38

44.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$59.2 EC$160

-26.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.52 EC$25.70

23.74%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$4.48 EC$12.10

-14.96%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.88 EC$5.08

-31.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.80 EC$4.86

-56.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.70 EC$7.29

17.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.79 EC$10.23

30.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.56 EC$6.91

-44.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.72 EC$4.63

29.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.92 EC$5.19

-26.04%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$4.96 EC$13.38

-49.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$12.64 EC$34.12

-42.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$15.39 EC$41.56

-49.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$15.27 EC$41.23

-16.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$5.96 EC$16.10

-53.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.65 EC$4.44

-16.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.28 EC$6.16

11.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$2.16 EC$5.84

-1.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.17 EC$5.85

-10.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.17 EC$5.87

-12.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$5.48 EC$14.80

-79.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.83 EC$4.93

-35.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$6.04 EC$16.31

-28.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$14.98 EC$40.45

-33.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$4.50 EC$12.16

-40.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.96 EC$2.59

-42.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$32.8K EC$88.6K

-37.04%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$44.0K EC$118.7K

-46.63%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$236 EC$636

-64.03%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$38.33 EC$104

-38.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$54.7 EC$148

-47.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$44.68 EC$121

27.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$7.15 EC$19.29

-28.11%

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$18.76 EC$50.7

131.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$11.26 EC$30.39

268.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$74.3 EC$201

-0.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$72.9 EC$197

22.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$599 EC$1,617

63.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$403 EC$1,088

-5.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$974 EC$2,629

75.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$641 EC$1,730

67.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$754 EC$2,035

-2.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Gros Islet: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Gros Islet

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Gros Islet

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Gros Islet

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Gros Islet

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Gros Islet

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Gros Islet

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Gros Islet

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $599 in Gros Islet. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gros Islet pays 3% 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 in Playa del Carmen vs $59 in Gros Islet 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

🇱🇨 Gros Islet

🕒 Local time

20:57 8:57 PM

21:57 9:57 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

21,660

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.332 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.01 XCD (1 XCD = 0.332 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Gros Islet 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Gros Islet

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 Gros Islet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Gros Islet. 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 3% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $599 in Gros Islet. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,437 in Gros Islet – Playa del Carmen is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Gros Islet. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Gros Islet on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.