Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lewiston, ME

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,834 in Lewiston, ME, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 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
135

Cost of Living Index in Lewiston, ME
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Lewiston, ME Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Lewiston, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Lewiston, ME

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,834 in Lewiston, ME, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Lewiston, ME $2,834

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,213 in Lewiston, ME, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Lewiston, ME $4,213

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,592 in Lewiston, ME, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Lewiston, ME $5,592

Playa del Carmen is about 58% cheaper than Lewiston, ME, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Lewiston, ME is 108% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$206

$18.19 $18.19

-39.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$819

$94.7 $94.7

-54.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$223

$13.44 $13.44

-12.35%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$72.0

$5.32 $5.32

-28.38%

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

$1.28 MX$24.23

$2.91 $2.91

-56.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.79

$2.82 $2.82

-72.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.8

$4.93 $4.93

-35.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$93.2

$8.12 $8.12

-39.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.57

$1.08 $1.08

30.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.88

$3.91 $3.91

-43.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.78

$5.49 $5.49

-74.13%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.66

$4.91 $4.91

-48.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$11.27 $11.27

-35.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$14.20 $14.20

-45.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$240

$17.61 $17.61

-27.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.6

$6.56 $6.56

-57.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.85

$1.79 $1.79

-23.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$48.19

$6.76 $6.76

-62.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$40.11

$5.50 $5.50

-61.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.62

$2.86 $2.86

-32.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.63

$4.36 $4.36

-56.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.66

$2.94 $2.94

-60.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.27

$2.20 $2.20

-46.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$81.2

$9.00 $9.00

-52.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$188

$13.32 $13.32

-25.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.91

$2.17 $2.17

-27.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.5

$4.24 $4.24

-37.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.45

$1.80 $1.80

-69.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$503

$63.3 $63.3

-57.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.9

$3.06 $3.06

62.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.9

$1.55 $1.55

114.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$31.63 $31.63

-83.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.28

$1.03 $1.03

39.81%

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

$20.7K MX$390.4K

$27.1K $27.1K

-23.77%

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

$23.5K MX$443.3K

$26.7K $26.7K

-12.17%

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

$84.8 MX$1,602

$323 $323

-73.71%

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

$23.41 MX$442

$103 $103

-77.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$541

$83.6 $83.6

-65.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,078

$45.22 $45.22

26.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$546

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$97.1

$14.34 $14.34

-64.16%

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

$207 MX$3,903

$1,816 $1,816

-88.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$74.2K

$29.4K $29.4K

-86.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$819

$16.10 $16.10

169.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$783

$39.03 $39.03

6.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,402

$79.5 $79.5

-6.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,686

$101 $101

-11.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.5K

$981 $981

-0.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,195

$1,301 $1,301

-70.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.3K

$2,532 $2,532

-32.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.3K

$2,291 $2,291

-53.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.5K

$2,531 $2,531

55.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$116.3K

$2,305 $2,305

167.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.64

72.44%

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 Lewiston, ME: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Lewiston, ME

$1.3K 45.9% 242% $921

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Lewiston, ME

$449 15.8% 76.1% $194

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Lewiston, ME

$314 11.1% 54.9% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Lewiston, ME

$509 18% 272% $372

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Lewiston, ME

$106 3.7% 5.1% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Lewiston, ME

$74 2.6% 9.8% $6.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Lewiston, ME

$81 2.9% 61.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $981 in Lewiston, ME. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $95 in Lewiston, ME. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $449 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Lewiston, ME

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

11:07 11:07 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

36,226

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.29 USD

100 MXN = 4.73 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 18.89 MXN (100 MXN = 5.29 USD). 1 EUR = 21.13 MXN (100 MXN = 4.73 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Lewiston, ME 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Lewiston, ME

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 Lewiston, ME: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lewiston, ME is pricier by about 135%, 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 $4,251 in Lewiston, ME. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $980 in Playa del Carmen and $981 in Lewiston, ME. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Lewiston, ME, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $95 in Lewiston, ME. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Lewiston, ME at $2,834. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lewiston, ME it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 $2,834 in Lewiston, ME. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.