Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,668 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,668 in Kingston.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Kingston $1,668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,812 in Kingston.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Kingston $2,812

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,955 in Kingston.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Kingston $3,955

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 27% less than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Kingston is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$13.29 JMD 2,099

-19.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$73.8 JMD 11.7K

-41.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$8.14 JMD 1,285

44.84%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$5.45 JMD 861

-28.99%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.14 JMD 180

20.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.72 JMD 115

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.16 JMD 341

43.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$3.11 JMD 491

63.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$4.19 JMD 661

-65.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$3.78 JMD 598

-41.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.61 JMD 254

-8.70%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$3.48 JMD 550

-27.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$11.40 JMD 1,801

-35.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$6.35 JMD 1,003

23.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$10.40 JMD 1,644

22.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$6.05 JMD 957

-52.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$3.82 JMD 604

-62.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$7.25 JMD 1,146

-64.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$3.06 JMD 484

-32.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$3.21 JMD 506

-37.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$2.62 JMD 415

-23.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$3.13 JMD 494

-61.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.44 JMD 228

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$9.48 JMD 1,498

-53.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$11.36 JMD 1,795

-15.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.86 JMD 453

-44.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.88 JMD 613

-27.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.75 JMD 119

-24.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$37.27 JMD 5,888

-25.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.22 JMD 192

308.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$3.20 JMD 505

9.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$6.31 JMD 996

-14.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.39 JMD 219

5.76%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

-52.62%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

-27.07%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$167 JMD 26.4K

-49.52%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$29.86 JMD 4,717

-19.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$53.4 JMD 8,443

-45.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$61.9 JMD 9,787

1.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$17.61 JMD 2,782

65.47%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$13.15 JMD 2,078

-62.43%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$359 JMD 56.7K

-43.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$8,382 JMD 1.3M

-52.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$23.75 JMD 3,752

83.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$31.13 JMD 4,918

38.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$76.9 JMD 12.2K

-1.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$100 JMD 15.9K

-11.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$975 JMD 154.0K

3.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$563 JMD 89.0K

-33.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$2,142 JMD 338.5K

-20.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$1,421 JMD 224.6K

-22.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$2,876 JMD 454.4K

37.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$2,044 JMD 323.0K

201.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$735 JMD 116.1K

2.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

9.45

21.16%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Kingston

$563 33.8% 50.5% $189

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Kingston

$384 23% 48.7% $126

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Kingston

$221 13.2% 9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Kingston

$250 15% 82.3% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Kingston

$105 6.3% 7.5% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Kingston

$88 5.3% 21.1% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Kingston

$57 3.5% 9.4% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $975 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $74.0 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $384 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

15:14 3:14 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kingston 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
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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 Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $975 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $359 in Kingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,668 in Kingston, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Kingston. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.