Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Key West, FL

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $4,854 in Key West, FL, rent and utilities included – about $43,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
230

Cost of Living Index in Key West, FL
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Key West, FL Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Key West, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$4,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Key West, FL

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 Key West, FL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,854 in Key West, FL, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Key West, FL $4,854

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $7,044 in Key West, FL, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Key West, FL $7,044

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $9,234 in Key West, FL, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Key West, FL $9,234

Playa del Carmen is about 75% cheaper than Key West, FL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Key West, FL is 257% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$21.78 $21.78

-49.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$101 $101

-57.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$12.08 $12.08

-2.48%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$4.70 $4.70

-18.94%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$2.34 $2.34

-45.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$2.00 $2.00

-61.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$5.92 $5.92

-46.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$6.80 $6.80

-27.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.04 $1.04

35.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$3.76 $3.76

-40.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$6.57 $6.57

-78.39%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$5.42 $5.42

-53.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$11.69 $11.69

-37.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$13.64 $13.64

-43.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$23.55 $23.55

-46.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$4.96 $4.96

-43.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.89 $1.89

-27.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$3.72 $3.72

-31.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$5.03 $5.03

-57.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$5.89 $5.89

-67.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$3.40 $3.40

-44.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$3.41 $3.41

-66.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$2.57 $2.57

-54.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$8.18 $8.18

-47.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$14.03 $14.03

-29.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.93 $1.93

-18.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.28 $2.28

17.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$4.04 $4.04

-86.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$4.06 $4.06

22.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$3.05 $3.05

9.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$30.13 $30.13

-82.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$0.90 $0.90

60.00%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$34.5K $34.5K

-40.18%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$25.6K $25.6K

-8.29%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$216 $216

-60.80%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$52.6 $52.6

-55.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$75.0 $75.0

-61.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$80.1 $80.1

-28.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$13.92 $13.92

-63.07%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$1,069 $1,069

-80.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$21.3K $21.3K

-81.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$47.45 $47.45

-8.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$42.08 $42.08

-1.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$72.6 $72.6

2.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$67.4 $67.4

32.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$3,413 $3,413

-71.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$3,478 $3,478

-89.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$7,139 $7,139

-76.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$6,089 $6,089

-82.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$9,569 $9,569

-58.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$9,439 $9,439

-34.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$5,899 $5,899

-87.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.38

79.47%

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 Key West, FL: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Key West, FL

$3.5K 71.7% 813% $3.1K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Key West, FL

$457 9.4% 79.5% $203

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Key West, FL

$327 6.8% 61.8% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Key West, FL

$344 7.1% 151% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Key West, FL

$103 2.1% 7.5% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Key West, FL

$108 2.2% 60.4% $41

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Key West, FL

$36 * 0.7% 29.6% $15

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 $3,413 in Key West, FL. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Key West, FL are about 8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $101 in Key West, FL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $457 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Key West, FL

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

24,684

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Key West, FL 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Key West, FL

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 Key West, FL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Key West, FL is pricier by about 303%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $7,281 in Key West, FL. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $3,413 in Key West, FL.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $101 in Key West, FL. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 80% more in Key West, FL, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Key West, FL at $4,854. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Key West, FL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Key West, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.