Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kingstown

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,315 in Kingstown, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Kingstown despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Kingstown
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Kingstown Living Index

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Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kingstown

🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$1,315

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,315 in Kingstown, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kingstown $1,315

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,996 in Kingstown, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kingstown $1,996

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,677 in Kingstown, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Kingstown $2,677

Playa del Carmen is about 8% cheaper than Kingstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Kingstown are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Kingstown 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$6.46 EC$17.44

69.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$36.91 EC$99.7

17.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.59 EC$28.59

11.24%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.98 EC$10.75

-4.27%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$2.30 EC$6.22

-44.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.87 EC$5.05

-58.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.64 EC$4.44

93.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.18 EC$5.87

126.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$3.12 EC$8.43

-54.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$2.07 EC$5.60

7.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.47 EC$3.97

-3.40%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$4.48 EC$12.08

-43.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$12.92 EC$34.90

-43.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$3.92 EC$10.58

96.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$12.13 EC$32.76

4.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$9.49 EC$25.63

-70.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$3.48 EC$9.39

-60.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$9.56 EC$25.81

-73.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$5.84 EC$15.76

-63.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$3.89 EC$10.51

-50.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$3.93 EC$10.62

-51.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$2.74 EC$7.41

-58.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$2.29 EC$6.17

-48.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$4.05 EC$10.93

6.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$16.43 EC$44.37

-39.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$2.69 EC$7.26

-41.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.39 EC$6.45

11.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.22 EC$3.29

-54.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$50.6 EC$137

-47.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$11.00 EC$29.70

-54.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.90 EC$5.12

75.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$29.81 EC$80.5

-82.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$3.17 EC$8.56

-54.57%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$37.7K EC$101.7K

-45.14%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$30.9K EC$83.5K

-24.14%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$73.6 EC$199

15.16%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$34.52 EC$93.2

-32.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$52.6 EC$142

-45.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$32.25 EC$87.1

76.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$4.54 EC$12.27

536.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$4.61 EC$12.46

11.50%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$104 EC$280

99.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$63.7 EC$172

-31.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$62.7 EC$169

-33.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$74.3 EC$201

-0.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$92.1 EC$249

-3.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$287 EC$776

240.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$329 EC$888

15.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$544 EC$1,470

213.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$485 EC$1,310

121.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$598 EC$1,614

559.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$607 EC$1,638

914.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,081 EC$2,918

-32.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.5

52.67%

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 Kingstown: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Kingstown

$329 25% 13.6% $52

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Kingstown

$415 31.6% 63% $161

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Kingstown

$160 12.2% 20.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kingstown

$161 12.2% 17.4% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kingstown

$132 10% 18% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Kingstown

$41 3.2% 38.4% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kingstown

$76 5.8% 50.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $287 in Kingstown. 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 47% higher in Kingstown. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $37 in Kingstown. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $415 in Kingstown – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇨 Kingstown

🕒 Local time

04:01 4:01 AM

05:01 5:01 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

25,720 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.332 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.01 XCD (1 XCD = 0.332 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kingstown 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kingstown

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 Kingstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kingstown is pricier by about 9%, 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 $1,972 in Kingstown. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kingstown, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $287 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 47% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $104 in Kingstown. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,315 in Kingstown, 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,315 in Kingstown. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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