Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lucknow

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucknow: $396 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Lucknow
Learn more

Lucknow Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Lucknow

🇮🇳 India

$396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $396 in Lucknow.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Lucknow $396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $621 in Lucknow.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Lucknow $621

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $846 in Lucknow.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Lucknow $846

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 204% more expensive than in Lucknow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Lucknow 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$1.86 ₹176

487.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$10.62 ₹1,009

308.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$3.23 ₹307

264.71%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$1.57 ₹149

142.68%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.44 ₹41.97

190.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.13 ₹12.29

500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.56 ₹148

103.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.26 ₹214

118.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$0.70 ₹66.6

101.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.47 ₹44.92

372.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$0.59 ₹55.9

140.68%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.02 ₹96.4

147.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$3.32 ₹315

118.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$2.51 ₹239

206.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.79 ₹170

55.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$0.66 ₹63.1

107.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$0.96 ₹91.0

165.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$0.47 ₹44.75

351.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.30 ₹28.11

546.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.42 ₹39.45

350.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.42 ₹39.88

173.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.30 ₹28.36

293.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$4.90 ₹465

-12.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.57 ₹814

16.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.66 ₹158

-4.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.63 ₹249

1.52%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.72 ₹543

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.43 ₹41.10

27.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$9.07 ₹861

193.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$0.98 ₹93.4

407.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.20 ₹18.95

1565.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$1.14 ₹108

370.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.14 ₹108

26.32%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

86.03%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$22.0K ₹2.1M

6.75%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$54.2 ₹5,149

56.35%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$3.74 ₹356

525.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$8.66 ₹822

230.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$15.88 ₹1,508

259.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$6.69 ₹635

332.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$3.20 ₹304

60.62%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$38.90 ₹3,693

431.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$979 ₹92.9K

301.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$23.41 ₹2,223

85.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$25.07 ₹2,381

65.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$38.75 ₹3,679

91.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$25.60 ₹2,431

248.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$133 ₹12.6K

638.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$87.7 ₹8,324

334.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$356 ₹33.8K

379.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$212 ₹20.1K

406.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$1,124 ₹106.7K

250.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$606 ₹57.5K

916.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$331 ₹31.5K

121.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.53

34.23%

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 Lucknow: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Lucknow

$88 22.2% 77% $293

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Lucknow

$98 24.7% 61.7% $157

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Lucknow

$58 14.7% 71.3% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Lucknow

$67 16.8% 51.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Lucknow

$51 12.8% 54.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Lucknow

$22 5.6% 66.9% $45

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Lucknow

$13 3.2% 74.7% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $133 in Lucknow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.2 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 $11 in Lucknow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $98 per month, with Lucknow cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇳 Lucknow

🕒 Local time

16:17 4:17 PM

02:47 2:47 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

4,588,455

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Lucknow 14,580 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Lucknow

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 Lucknow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lucknow is about 67% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.2 times higher, 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $133 in Lucknow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lucknow – a meal for two runs $11 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $396 in Lucknow – Lucknow is about 67% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $396 in Lucknow versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lucknow but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Lucknow 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.

Expats usually find Lucknow gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.