Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Portmore

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,250 in Portmore, rent and utilities included – about $550 less a year. The total is higher in Portmore despite lower rent and utilities.

58

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

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
Learn more

Portmore Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,250 in Portmore, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Portmore $1,250

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,081 in Portmore, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Portmore $2,081

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,912 in Portmore, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Portmore $2,912

Playa del Carmen is about 4% cheaper than Portmore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Portmore are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Portmore 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$10.11 JMD 1,598

8.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$63.1 JMD 9,975

-31.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.99 JMD 1,262

47.43%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$5.27 JMD 833

-27.70%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$0.93 JMD 147

37.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.61 JMD 96.6

27.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$2.18 JMD 345

45.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$2.18 JMD 345

126.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$3.18 JMD 502

-55.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$3.64 JMD 575

-39.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.03 JMD 163

37.86%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$3.44 JMD 544

-26.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$11.29 JMD 1,784

-35.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.22 JMD 982

23.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$9.49 JMD 1,499

33.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$5.88 JMD 929

-52.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$3.94 JMD 622

-65.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$3.01 JMD 476

-15.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$3.02 JMD 477

-29.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$3.22 JMD 509

-39.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$2.57 JMD 406

-26.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$1.55 JMD 245

-25.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$1.25 JMD 197

-5.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$9.49 JMD 1,499

-54.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$11.46 JMD 1,811

-13.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$2.87 JMD 454

-44.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.16 JMD 342

23.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$2.25 JMD 355

-75.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$50.1 JMD 7,917

-46.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$0.92 JMD 145

440.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$3.13 JMD 494

6.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$6.44 JMD 1,017

-16.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.26 JMD 200

14.29%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

-53.39%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$32.7K JMD 5.2M

-28.17%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$160 JMD 25.2K

-46.91%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$28.89 JMD 4,564

-18.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$52.8 JMD 8,346

-45.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$58.7 JMD 9,273

-2.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$13.47 JMD 2,129

-61.84%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$281 JMD 44.4K

-26.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$3,157 JMD 498.8K

24.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$23.28 JMD 3,677

86.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$31.19 JMD 4,928

32.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$77.0 JMD 12.2K

-3.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$95.9 JMD 15.2K

-6.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$315 JMD 49.7K

211.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$218 JMD 34.4K

74.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$667 JMD 105.3K

156.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$605 JMD 95.5K

77.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$7,655 JMD 1.2M

-48.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$5,857 JMD 925.3K

5.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,280 JMD 202.3K

-42.64%

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 Portmore: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Portmore

$218 17.4% 42.7% $163

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Portmore

$337 27% 32.4% $83

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Portmore

$190 15.2% 6.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Portmore

$241 19.3% 76.4% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Portmore

$102 8.2% 8.4% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Portmore

$86 6.9% 27.2% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Portmore

$76 6.1% 50% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $315 in Portmore. 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 74% higher in Portmore. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $63 in Portmore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $337 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇲 Portmore

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

170,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 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 Portmore 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Portmore

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 Portmore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Portmore is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,875 in Portmore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Portmore, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $315 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,250 in Portmore. That makes Playa del Carmen about 4% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 47% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,250 in Portmore, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,250 in Portmore. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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