Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lalmatie

For one person, living is cheaper in Lalmatie: $707 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Lalmatie
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Lalmatie Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Lalmatie

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $707 in Lalmatie.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Lalmatie $707

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,253 in Lalmatie.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Lalmatie $1,253

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,798 in Lalmatie.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Lalmatie $1,798

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 70% more expensive than in Lalmatie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Lalmatie 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$5.86 MUR 276

82.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$813

$38.72 MUR 1,824

13.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.29 MUR 343

61.73%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.3

$2.68 MUR 126

41.42%

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

$1.30 MX$24.09

$1.02 MUR 48.26

27.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.48

$0.48 MUR 22.59

72.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.4

$1.84 MUR 86.6

71.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

$2.09 MUR 98.4

135.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.16

$1.60 MUR 75.2

-11.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.77

$0.18 MUR 8.64

1122.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.35

$1.16 MUR 54.6

26.72%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.37

$2.69 MUR 127

-7.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$135

$12.67 MUR 597

-42.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$6.29 MUR 296

26.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$11.17 MUR 527

15.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.8

$2.74 MUR 129

5.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.69

$2.44 MUR 115

-43.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.26

$1.45 MUR 68.3

71.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.70

$2.06 MUR 97.0

-1.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.61

$1.01 MUR 47.50

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.35

$0.96 MUR 45.19

97.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.25

$0.74 MUR 35.00

54.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.01

$0.86 MUR 40.65

44.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

$6.42 MUR 303

-33.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$182

$7.60 MUR 358

29.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.45

$1.69 MUR 79.8

-5.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.0

$2.29 MUR 108

20.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

$1.12 MUR 52.8

-54.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$509

$53.6 MUR 2,525

-48.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

$4.33 MUR 204

9.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

$1.27 MUR 59.9

155.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$20.94 MUR 987

-74.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.38

$1.40 MUR 66.0

9.29%

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

$21.2K MX$393.9K

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

-42.59%

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

$23.3K MX$432.0K

$31.2K MUR 1.5M

-25.38%

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

$83.5 MX$1,550

$45.19 MUR 2,129

84.75%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$10.41 MUR 491

122.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$513

$29.31 MUR 1,381

-5.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,048

$37.73 MUR 1,778

49.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$524

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.9

$6.50 MUR 306

-23.08%

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

$207 MX$3,846

$100 MUR 4,723

106.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.1K

$7,766 MUR 366.0K

-32.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$807

$12.30 MUR 580

253.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$790

$24.64 MUR 1,161

72.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,351

$49.24 MUR 2,320

47.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,641

$37.22 MUR 1,754

137.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$204 MUR 9,605

388.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,102

$99.9 MUR 4,707

282.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

$619 MUR 29.2K

170.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$374 MUR 17.6K

188.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$626 MUR 29.5K

32.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.67

71.66%

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 Lalmatie: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Lalmatie

$100 14.1% 73.9% $283

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Lalmatie

$227 32.1% 11.8% $30

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Lalmatie

$120 17% 40% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Lalmatie

$85 12% 36.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Lalmatie

$56 7.9% 50.1% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Lalmatie

$51 7.2% 23.6% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Lalmatie

$69 9.7% 36.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $204 in Lalmatie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 33% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $39 in Lalmatie for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $227 per month, with Lalmatie cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇺 Lalmatie

🕒 Local time

08:22 8:22 AM

17:22 5:22 PM

9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

10,641

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 47.12 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.75 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Lalmatie 16,350 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Lalmatie

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 Lalmatie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lalmatie is about 41% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 33% 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $204 in Lalmatie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 49% less than in Lalmatie. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $100 in Lalmatie. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $707 in Lalmatie versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lalmatie but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Lalmatie the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Lalmatie wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.