Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Long Beach, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,570 in Long Beach, NY, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Long Beach, NY
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Long Beach, NY Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Long Beach, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,570

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Long Beach, NY

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 Long Beach, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,570 in Long Beach, NY, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Long Beach, NY $2,570

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,827 in Long Beach, NY, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Long Beach, NY $3,827

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,083 in Long Beach, NY, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Long Beach, NY $5,083

Playa del Carmen is about 53% cheaper than Long Beach, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Long Beach, NY is 92% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$24.97 $24.97

-56.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$80.2 $80.2

-44.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$10.94 $10.94

8.96%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$5.59 $5.59

-32.02%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$2.55 $2.55

-48.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$1.51 $1.51

-43.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$7.85 $7.85

-59.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$8.10 $8.10

-38.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.30 $1.30

12.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$4.31 $4.31

-45.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$6.21 $6.21

-76.81%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$6.98 $6.98

-64.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$13.39 $13.39

-42.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$11.65 $11.65

-32.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$17.33 $17.33

-26.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$5.40 $5.40

-45.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.78 $1.78

-20.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$4.17 $4.17

-38.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$5.23 $5.23

-59.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$3.07 $3.07

-36.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$2.99 $2.99

-35.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$2.83 $2.83

-59.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$2.96 $2.96

-58.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$11.59 $11.59

-62.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$14.85 $14.85

-33.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.75 $1.75

-12.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$3.48 $3.48

-21.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$1.89 $1.89

-72.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$2.94 $2.94

67.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$2.04 $2.04

72.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$23.70 $23.70

-75.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.07 $1.07

43.93%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$35.5K $35.5K

-40.19%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$25.4K $25.4K

-3.77%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$169 $169

-50.49%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$51.1 $51.1

-52.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$49.94 $49.94

-41.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$38.98 $38.98

66.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$14.28 $14.28

-64.36%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$1,980 $1,980

-89.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$16.0K $16.0K

-74.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$41.73 $41.73

6.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$58.5 $58.5

-28.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$75.2 $75.2

0.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$104 $104

-12.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$1,615 $1,615

-38.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$1,320 $1,320

-70.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$2,491 $2,491

-31.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$2,419 $2,419

-54.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$2,548 $2,548

57.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$2,076 $2,076

200.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.75

69.63%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Long Beach, NY: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Long Beach, NY

$1.3K 50.3% 243% $934

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Long Beach, NY

$447 17.1% 71.8% $187

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Long Beach, NY

$371 14.2% 82.1% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Long Beach, NY

$270 10.3% 97% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Long Beach, NY

$126 4.8% 10.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Long Beach, NY

$68 2.6% 10% $7.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Long Beach, NY

$21 * 0.8% 60.3% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,615 in Long Beach, NY. 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 $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $80.0 in Long Beach, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $447 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Long Beach, NY

🕒 Local time

05:50 5:50 AM

06:50 6:50 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

469,450

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 11, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Long Beach, NY 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Long Beach, NY

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 Long Beach, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Long Beach, NY costs about 111% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,855 in Long Beach, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen and $80.0 in Long Beach, NY. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 72% more in Long Beach, NY, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Long Beach, NY at $2,570. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Long Beach, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,215 versus $2,570 in Long Beach, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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