Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Luquillo

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Luquillo: $1,204 and $1,253 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Luquillo
Learn more

Luquillo Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Luquillo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,253 in Luquillo.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Luquillo $1,253

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,011 in Luquillo.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Luquillo $2,011

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,768 in Luquillo.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Luquillo $2,768

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 4% less than in Luquillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Luquillo 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$19.20 $19.20

-43.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$83.0 $83.0

-47.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$9.40 $9.40

25.32%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.65 $3.65

4.38%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.65 $1.65

-22.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.44 $1.44

-45.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.94 $2.94

7.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.19 $2.19

125.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.13 $2.13

-33.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$3.59 $3.59

-38.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$2.44 $2.44

-41.80%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$7.32 $7.32

-65.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$12.66 $12.66

-42.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$9.56 $9.56

-19.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$13.35 $13.35

-4.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$4.99 $4.99

-44.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$2.54 $2.54

-46.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$4.91 $4.91

-48.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$4.86 $4.86

-56.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$3.71 $3.71

-47.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$3.95 $3.95

-52.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$3.35 $3.35

-65.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.60 $1.60

-26.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$12.14 $12.14

-64.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$12.04 $12.04

-17.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$3.13 $3.13

-49.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$3.94 $3.94

-32.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.45 $2.45

102.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.53 $1.53

117.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$41.65 $41.65

-87.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.78 $0.78

84.62%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$34.7K $34.7K

-40.46%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$28.0K $28.0K

-16.13%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$266 $266

-68.14%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$69.3 $69.3

-66.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$70.6 $70.6

-59.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$10.56 $10.56

-51.33%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$806 $806

-74.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$12.6K $12.6K

-68.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$55.5 $55.5

-21.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$61.0 $61.0

-32.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$110 $110

-32.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$114 $114

-21.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$4,126 $4,126

-82.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.55

74.81%

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 Luquillo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Luquillo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Luquillo

$406 32.4% 59.2% $151

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Luquillo

$257 20.5% 27.1% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Luquillo

$406 32.4% 197% $269

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Luquillo

$153 12.2% 37.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Luquillo

$21 * 1.7% 68.6% $46

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Luquillo

$10 * 0.8% 79.9% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

Luquillo pays about 5.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $83 in Luquillo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $406 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇷 Luquillo

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

10:04 10:04 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

20,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Luquillo 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Luquillo

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 Luquillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 82% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Luquillo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,253 in Luquillo – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Luquillo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.