Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mandeville

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandeville: $810 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Mandeville
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Mandeville Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Mandeville

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$810

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $810 in Mandeville.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Mandeville $810

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,395 in Mandeville.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Mandeville $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,980 in Mandeville.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Mandeville $1,980

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 49% more expensive than in Mandeville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Mandeville 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$6.47 JMD 1,023

68.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$73.4 JMD 11.6K

-40.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.04 JMD 1,271

46.52%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.24 JMD 354

70.09%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.12 JMD 176

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.68 JMD 108

14.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.18 JMD 344

45.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.85 JMD 451

72.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$4.25 JMD 671

-66.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.77 JMD 279

25.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.56 JMD 246

-8.97%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$3.63 JMD 573

-30.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$11.61 JMD 1,834

-37.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$6.23 JMD 985

23.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$10.22 JMD 1,615

24.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$5.99 JMD 946

-53.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$3.84 JMD 606

-64.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$7.15 JMD 1,129

-64.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$3.07 JMD 485

-30.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$3.27 JMD 516

-40.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.62 JMD 414

-27.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$3.15 JMD 498

-63.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.49 JMD 235

-20.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$9.64 JMD 1,523

-55.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$11.36 JMD 1,795

-12.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$2.94 JMD 464

-46.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$4.10 JMD 648

-34.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.24 JMD 197

300.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$3.19 JMD 505

4.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$6.43 JMD 1,015

-16.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.47 JMD 232

-2.04%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

-52.67%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

-29.20%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$95.0 JMD 15.0K

-10.78%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$22.22 JMD 3,511

5.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$50.9 JMD 8,048

-43.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$13.28 JMD 2,099

-61.30%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$365 JMD 57.7K

-43.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$8,207 JMD 1.3M

-52.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$23.80 JMD 3,760

82.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$31.27 JMD 4,941

32.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

-3.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$103 JMD 16.3K

-13.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$467 JMD 73.7K

109.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

9.45

21.16%

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 Mandeville: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Mandeville

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Mandeville

$366 45.1% 43.5% $111

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Mandeville

$127 15.6% 37.4% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Mandeville

$168 20.8% 22.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Mandeville

$106 13.1% 5.1% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Mandeville

$27 * 3.3% 60.5% $41

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Mandeville

$17 * 2.1% 65.9% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $467 in Mandeville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $73 in Mandeville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $366 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇲 Mandeville

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

47,115

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mandeville 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mandeville

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 Mandeville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mandeville is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,215 in Mandeville to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $467 in Mandeville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $365 in Mandeville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $73 in Mandeville. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $810 in Mandeville versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mandeville but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Mandeville 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.