Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kerak

For one person, living is cheaper in Kerak: $954 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Kerak, Jordan
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Kerak
🇯🇴 Jordan
$954
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Kerak

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $954 in Kerak, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Kerak $954

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,497 in Kerak, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Kerak $1,497

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,040 in Kerak, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Kerak $2,040

Playa del Carmen costs about 26% more than Kerak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Kerak are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Kerak 30% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Kerak
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$204
$2.88 JOD 2.04
279.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$71.6 JOD 50.7
-39.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$220
$5.71 JOD 4.04
106.30%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$0.69 JOD 0.49
452.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.90
$0.50 JOD 0.35
156.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.59
$0.34 JOD 0.24
129.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$8.55 JOD 6.05
-62.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.0
$11.00 JOD 7.78
-55.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Kerak
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.38 JOD 0.98
2.17%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.33
$0.36 JOD 0.26
516.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.42
$0.88 JOD 0.62
61.36%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.03
$1.72 JOD 1.22
46.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$6.92 JOD 4.90
4.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$4.11 JOD 2.91
87.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$237
$12.51 JOD 8.85
1.44%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$1.43 JOD 1.01
94.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.50
$1.43 JOD 1.01
-4.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.55
$1.38 JOD 0.98
84.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.58
$0.44 JOD 0.31
381.82%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.13
$0.88 JOD 0.62
120.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.16
$0.81 JOD 0.57
133.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.37
$0.62 JOD 0.44
85.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.98
$0.67 JOD 0.47
76.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.1
$3.77 JOD 2.67
14.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$20.99 JOD 14.85
-52.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.52
$4.93 JOD 3.49
-67.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.79
$4.92 JOD 3.48
-45.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Kerak
Difference
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
$0.60 JOD 0.42
728.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$1.42 JOD 1.01
134.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$7.17 JOD 5.07
-25.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.92
$1.68 JOD 1.19
-14.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.2K
$32.4K JOD 22.9K
-36.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.4K
$34.3K JOD 24.3K
-31.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Kerak
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,581
$113 JOD 80.1
-25.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$15.71 JOD 11.12
49.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$27.68 JOD 19.59
3.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Kerak
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
$42.67 JOD 30.20
33.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.8
$11.17 JOD 7.90
-53.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Kerak
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,851
$140 JOD 99.3
47.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$3,380 JOD 2,392
16.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Kerak
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$63.8 JOD 45.13
-32.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$79.2 JOD 56.1
-47.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,383
$127 JOD 89.7
-41.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,664
$83.6 JOD 59.2
6.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Kerak
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.3K
$186 JOD 132
425.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,099
$228 JOD 162
66.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
$278 JOD 197
515.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$325 JOD 230
230.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
$213 JOD 151
1749.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.8K
$286 JOD 202
2054.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Kerak
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
$509 JOD 360
44.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
6.94
64.99%

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 Kerak: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Kerak
$228 40.1% $153
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Kerak
$221 13.1% $33
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Kerak
$117 42.4% $86
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Kerak
$157 14.5% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Kerak
$159 42.3% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Kerak
$65 3.4% $2.3
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Kerak
$7.7 * 84.7% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $186 in Kerak. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 44% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $72 in Kerak. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $221 in Kerak – so Kerak wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇯🇴 Kerak
🕒 Local time
14:59 2:59 PM
22:59 10:59 PM
8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
21,678
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.788 JOD (1 JOD = 1.27 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Kerak 11,630 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Kerak

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 Kerak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kerak cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,432 in Kerak. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kerak, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $186 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Kerak?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $72 in Kerak. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Kerak?
Groceries cost about 15% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is Playa del Carmen or Kerak more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Kerak – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Kerak. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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