Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Islip, NY

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Islip, NY: $1,204 and $1,259 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Islip, NY
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Islip, NY Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Islip, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,259

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Islip, NY

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 Islip, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,259 in Islip, NY.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Islip, NY $1,259

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,207 in Islip, NY.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Islip, NY $2,207

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,154 in Islip, NY.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Islip, NY $3,154

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 4% less than in Islip, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Islip, NY 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$26.10 $26.10

-58.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$122 $122

-64.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$14.05 $14.05

-16.16%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$5.14 $5.14

-25.88%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$2.85 $2.85

-55.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$2.28 $2.28

-65.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$7.77 $7.77

-59.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$10.17 $10.17

-51.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.39 $1.39

1.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$4.54 $4.54

-51.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$4.05 $4.05

-64.94%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$5.02 $5.02

-49.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$18.69 $18.69

-61.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$17.41 $17.41

-55.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$16.45 $16.45

-22.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$4.47 $4.47

-37.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.29 $1.29

6.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$2.17 $2.17

17.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$2.91 $2.91

-27.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.78 $1.78

8.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.17 $2.17

-12.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.53 $1.53

-24.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.10 $1.10

7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$14.94 $14.94

-71.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$12.96 $12.96

-23.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$2.35 $2.35

-32.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$3.76 $3.76

-28.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$4.37 $4.37

-87.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.98 $2.98

66.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$2.20 $2.20

51.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$41.26 $41.26

-87.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.17 $1.17

23.08%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$27.9K $27.9K

-26.05%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$26.7K $26.7K

-12.00%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$80.2 $80.2

5.78%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$71.2 $71.2

-67.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$69.8 $69.8

-58.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$59.6 $59.6

-4.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$15.83 $15.83

-67.53%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$3,537 $3,537

-94.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$61.6K $61.6K

-93.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$44.55 $44.55

-2.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$27.92 $27.92

48.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$75.0 $75.0

-1.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$91.4 $91.4

-2.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$1,989 $1,989

-50.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$3,382 $3,382

-49.50%

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$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$3,975 $3,975

-81.52%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Islip, NY: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Islip, NY

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Islip, NY

$416 33% 63.1% $161

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Islip, NY

$392 31.2% 93.9% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Islip, NY

$221 17.6% 61.6% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Islip, NY

$107 8.5% 3.8% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Islip, NY

$91 7.3% 35.6% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Islip, NY

$31 * 2.5% 37.6% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,989 in Islip, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Islip, NY pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $122 in Islip, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $416 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Islip, NY

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

10:25 10:25 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

339,938

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Islip, NY 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Islip, NY

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 Islip, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 82% 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 $1,989 in Islip, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,537 in Islip, NY. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $122 in Islip, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen 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.

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