Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Montego Bay Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Montego Bay

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 10.5% more expensive than Montego Bay without rent, and 4.2% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 13.5% more expensive than Montego Bay without rent, and 36% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Montego Bay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$7.73 JMD 1,210
53.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$50.6 JMD 7,925
-16.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$7.63 JMD 1,195
40.89%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$4.22 JMD 660
-17.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$1.32 JMD 206
9.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.70 JMD 109
28.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$2.44 JMD 383
25.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$3.21 JMD 502
37.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Montego Bay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$2.47 JMD 387
-44.53%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$2.69 JMD 421
-30.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$1.55 JMD 242
-0.65%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$3.56 JMD 557
-29.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$10.91 JMD 1,708
-21.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$6.20 JMD 971
39.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$7.66 JMD 1,198
43.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$3.37 JMD 528
-18.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$3.12 JMD 488
-54.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$2.71 JMD 424
-31.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.83 JMD 286
18.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$2.07 JMD 325
-9.18%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$1.13 JMD 177
99.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$1.92 JMD 301
-44.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$1.00 JMD 156
7.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$8.51 JMD 1,333
-51.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$11.55 JMD 1,809
-10.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$2.22 JMD 348
-24.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$3.19 JMD 500
-22.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Montego Bay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$0.90 JMD 140
-38.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$0.91 JMD 142
253.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$3.26 JMD 510
-23.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$6.31 JMD 988
-50.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.23 JMD 193
2.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$43.0K JMD 6.7M
-28.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$33.3K JMD 5.2M
-27.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Montego Bay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$165 JMD 25.9K
-50.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$21.13 JMD 3,308
5.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$47.07 JMD 7,367
-36.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Montego Bay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$38.11 JMD 5,964
34.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$7.38 JMD 1,155
-32.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Montego Bay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$63.7 JMD 9,966
214.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$1,889 JMD 295.7K
180.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Montego Bay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$25.68 JMD 4,019
39.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$19.89 JMD 3,113
98.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$66.3 JMD 10.4K
21.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$76.2 JMD 11.9K
15.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Montego Bay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$260 JMD 40.7K
272.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$454 JMD 71.0K
6.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$671 JMD 105.0K
137.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$438 JMD 68.5K
170.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Montego Bay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
$553 JMD 86.6K
36.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
8
42.75%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Montego Bay: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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