Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lincoln

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,203 in Lincoln, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln
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Lincoln Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Lincoln

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,203 in Lincoln.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Lincoln $2,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,290 in Lincoln.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Lincoln $3,290

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,376 in Lincoln.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Lincoln $4,376

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 45% less than in Lincoln, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Lincoln is 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$26.70 £20.03

-59.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$85.8 £64.4

-48.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$8.14 £6.11

44.47%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$4.98 £3.74

-26.10%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.64 £1.98

-49.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.97 £1.48

-58.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$6.70 £5.03

-54.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$6.58 £4.94

-24.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.40 £1.05

5.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.49 £1.12

48.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.34 £1.01

10.45%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$3.36 £2.52

-25.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$8.31 £6.23

-9.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$8.59 £6.44

-7.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$11.39 £8.54

10.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.48 £2.61

-20.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.20 £0.90

19.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$3.11 £2.33

-15.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$3.65 £2.74

-41.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.47 £1.10

37.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.16 £0.87

71.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.04 £0.78

9.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.35 £1.02

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$23.57 £17.68

-81.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$10.50 £7.88

-4.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$3.18 £2.39

-51.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.59 £2.69

-25.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$4.15 £3.12

-87.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$107 £80.3

-74.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.88 £2.91

26.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.71 £0.54

383.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$19.84 £14.89

-72.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$2.06 £1.54

-29.61%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$38.6K £28.9K

-45.15%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$40.4K £30.3K

-42.96%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$304 £228

-71.91%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$17.07 £12.81

37.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$40.02 £30.02

-28.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$26.70 £20.03

132.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$21.35 £16.01

34.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$15.55 £11.66

-67.20%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$1,831 £1,373

-89.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$20.6K £15.5K

-80.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$115 £85.9

-61.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$58.6 £43.98

-29.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$84.9 £63.7

-14.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$99.3 £74.5

-9.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,078 £809

-9.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$854 £640

-56.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,936 £1,453

-13.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,426 £1,070

-23.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$2,503 £1,878

57.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,220 £916

402.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$3,307 £2,481

-77.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.88

134.63%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lincoln: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Lincoln

$854 38.7% 129% $481

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Lincoln

$276 12.5% 6.9% $18

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Lincoln

$363 16.5% 81.3% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Lincoln

$361 16.4% 163% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Lincoln

$161 7.3% 44% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Lincoln

$58 2.6% 20.2% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Lincoln

$131 6% 154% $79

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $1,078 in Lincoln. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lincoln pays 348% 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: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $86.0 in Lincoln for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $276 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇧 Lincoln

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

04:09 4:09 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

97,541

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Lincoln 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Lincoln

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 Lincoln: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Lincoln differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $2,203 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 348% lower in Lincoln. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,078 in Lincoln. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $86.0 in Lincoln. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,203 in Lincoln – a 83% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,203 in Lincoln, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lincoln. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Lincoln are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Lincoln. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.