Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lelydorp

For one person, living is cheaper in Lelydorp: $198 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Lelydorp

🇸🇷 Suriname

$198

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $198 in Lelydorp.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Lelydorp $198

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $404 in Lelydorp.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Lelydorp $404

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $610 in Lelydorp.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Lelydorp $610

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 507% more expensive than in Lelydorp, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Lelydorp 85% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.06 SRD 189

115.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$35.04 SRD 1,310

23.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.06 SRD 227

94.39%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.27 SRD 47.42

0.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.46 SRD 17.35

69.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.99 SRD 74.4

59.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.04 SRD 114

62.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.18 SRD 44.05

19.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.98 SRD 36.47

126.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.18 SRD 44.09

20.34%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.79 SRD 104

-9.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.88 SRD 145

98.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$7.79 SRD 291

62.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.47 SRD 54.8

-6.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.99 SRD 36.98

95.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.98 SRD 36.74

92.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.86 SRD 32.34

37.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.06 SRD 76.9

-23.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.52 SRD 19.42

5.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.88 SRD 33.08

63.64%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

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

$23.41 MX$439

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

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

$207 MX$3,878

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$302 SRD 11.3K

143.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-32.65%

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 Lelydorp: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Lelydorp

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Lelydorp

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Lelydorp

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Lelydorp

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Lelydorp

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Lelydorp

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Lelydorp

–

Cost Breakdown

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.4 times 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: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $35 in Lelydorp for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $115 per month, with Lelydorp cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇷 Lelydorp

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

01:48 1:48 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

19,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Surinamese Dollar SRD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 SRD = 2.67 USD

100 SRD = 2.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SRD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Surinamese Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 37.39 SRD (100 SRD = 2.67 USD). 1 EUR = 41.75 SRD (100 SRD = 2.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Lelydorp 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Lelydorp

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 Lelydorp: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lelydorp wins on cost – living expenses run 84% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lelydorp the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $198 in Lelydorp – Lelydorp is about 84% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 122% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $198 in Lelydorp versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Lelydorp but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Lelydorp 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 – Lelydorp 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.