Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Montego Bay

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Montego Bay: $1,210 and $1,169 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
Learn more

Montego Bay Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Montego Bay

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,169 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Montego Bay $1,169

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,141 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Montego Bay $2,141

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,113 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Montego Bay $3,113

Playa del Carmen costs about 4% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Montego Bay are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Montego Bay 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$11.14 JMD 1,760

-3.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

-41.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$8.35 JMD 1,319

41.20%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$5.22 JMD 825

-25.86%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.94 JMD 149

45.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.70 JMD 110

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.17 JMD 343

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$3.06 JMD 484

65.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$3.30 JMD 522

-56.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.61 JMD 413

-14.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.38 JMD 217

6.52%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$3.48 JMD 550

-27.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$11.24 JMD 1,775

-35.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$6.13 JMD 968

28.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$9.05 JMD 1,430

41.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$4.03 JMD 637

-28.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.53 JMD 400

-43.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$7.28 JMD 1,151

-64.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$2.45 JMD 388

-15.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$2.44 JMD 386

-18.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$2.66 JMD 420

-24.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$2.55 JMD 403

-53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.77 JMD 121

63.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$9.16 JMD 1,447

-51.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$11.14 JMD 1,760

-13.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.80 JMD 442

-43.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$4.05 JMD 640

-30.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.96 JMD 152

-40.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$0.93 JMD 147

435.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$3.17 JMD 501

10.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$6.25 JMD 988

-13.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.35 JMD 214

8.89%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$44.2K JMD 7.0M

-52.48%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$32.6K JMD 5.2M

-26.76%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$170 JMD 26.8K

-50.32%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$22.58 JMD 3,567

6.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$47.32 JMD 7,477

-38.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$44.55 JMD 7,038

41.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$8.65 JMD 1,367

-42.89%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$355 JMD 56.0K

-42.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$8,218 JMD 1.3M

-52.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$23.50 JMD 3,713

85.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$30.80 JMD 4,866

40.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$67.9 JMD 10.7K

11.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$102 JMD 16.1K

-13.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$318 JMD 50.2K

217.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$222 JMD 35.1K

68.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$934 JMD 147.6K

82.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$934 JMD 147.6K

18.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$595 JMD 94.0K

26.82%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Montego Bay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Montego Bay

$222 19% 40.5% $152

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Montego Bay

$323 27.7% 25.1% $65

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Montego Bay

$200 17.1% 1% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Montego Bay

$239 20.5% 74.5% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Montego Bay

$101 8.6% 10.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Montego Bay

$62 5.3% 15.1% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8% 60.7% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $318 in Montego Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $74.0 in Montego Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $323 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

110,115

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Montego Bay 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Montego Bay

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 Montego Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 4% more than Montego Bay, 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 $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,753 in Montego Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montego Bay, 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $74.0 in Montego Bay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Montego Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,169, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Montego Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montego Bay costs $1,169 versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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