Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Jolly Harbour

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,275 in Jolly Harbour, rent and utilities included – about $880 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

$1,202

/mo nomad

Jolly Harbour

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda

$1,275

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Jolly Harbour

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 Jolly Harbour actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,275 in Jolly Harbour, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Jolly Harbour $1,275

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,883 in Jolly Harbour, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Jolly Harbour $1,883

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,492 in Jolly Harbour, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Jolly Harbour $2,492

Playa del Carmen is about 6% cheaper than Jolly Harbour, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Jolly Harbour are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Jolly Harbour 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$9.17 EC$24.75

16.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$73.5 EC$198

-40.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.22 EC$19.49

63.30%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$5.62 EC$15.17

-32.56%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$2.27 EC$6.14

-42.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.14 EC$3.07

-27.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$5.69 EC$15.37

-44.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$4.54 EC$12.26

8.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$2.92 EC$7.89

-24.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$5.62 EC$15.18

-73.84%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$8.06 EC$21.77

-68.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$5.46 EC$14.73

33.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$6.37 EC$17.21

24.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$16.70 EC$45.10

-22.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$5.39 EC$14.56

-46.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.83 EC$4.94

-24.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$2.95 EC$7.96

-15.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$5.41 EC$14.61

-62.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$5.57 EC$15.03

-63.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$6.35 EC$17.14

-82.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$12.79 EC$34.54

-23.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.32 EC$3.58

20.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.87 EC$5.04

47.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.80 EC$4.86

-71.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$5.63 EC$15.19

-42.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.73 EC$1.97

109.59%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$515 EC$1,390

-83.79%

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

$23.19 MX$431

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$67.3 EC$182

-58.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$73.1 EC$197

-22.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$56.0 EC$151

-49.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$16.58 EC$44.76

-69.84%

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

$207 MX$3,854

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

90.83%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Jolly Harbour: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Jolly Harbour

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Jolly Harbour

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Jolly Harbour

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Jolly Harbour

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Jolly Harbour

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Jolly Harbour

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Jolly Harbour

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $73 in Jolly Harbour. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $337 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇬 Jolly Harbour

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

10:55 10:55 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.02 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Jolly Harbour 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Jolly Harbour

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 Jolly Harbour: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jolly Harbour costs about 6% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,912 in Jolly Harbour. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,275 in Jolly Harbour. That makes Playa del Carmen about 6% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Jolly Harbour, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,275 in Jolly Harbour, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,275 in Jolly Harbour. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.