Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Portsmouth, Dominica

For one person, living is cheaper in Portsmouth: $921 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Portsmouth

🇩🇲 Dominica

$921

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $921 in Portsmouth, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Portsmouth $921

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,637 in Portsmouth, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Portsmouth $1,637

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,353 in Portsmouth, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Portsmouth $2,353

Playa del Carmen costs about 31% more than Portsmouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Portsmouth are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Portsmouth 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.42 EC$14.64

101.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$54.6 EC$147

-20.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.48 EC$17.51

81.79%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.56 EC$6.90

48.83%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$2.21 EC$5.96

-42.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.83 EC$4.94

-57.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.56 EC$6.91

23.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.73 EC$10.06

32.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$2.70 EC$7.30

-47.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.25 EC$6.08

-1.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$2.05 EC$5.54

-30.73%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$6.71 EC$18.12

-62.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$2.63 EC$7.10

176.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$5.57 EC$15.04

38.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$7.43 EC$20.06

-62.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.61 EC$7.05

-47.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$4.10 EC$11.07

-37.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$4.01 EC$10.83

-47.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.78 EC$7.50

-30.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.80 EC$7.57

-32.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.83 EC$4.95

-37.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.81 EC$4.88

-34.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$10.91 EC$29.47

-8.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.89 EC$5.10

-16.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.65 EC$7.17

0.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.77 EC$2.08

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$3.78 EC$10.22

31.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$3.63 EC$9.80

-8.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

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

$23.41 MX$439

$41.40 EC$112

-43.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$64.8 EC$175

-55.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$36.86 EC$99.5

54.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$11.22 EC$30.31

-54.19%

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

$207 MX$3,878

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$55.6 EC$150

-22.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$24.30 EC$65.6

70.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$56.1 EC$152

32.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$67.7 EC$183

31.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$254 EC$686

285.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$220 EC$593

73.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$656 EC$1,772

160.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$637 EC$1,720

68.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$641 EC$1,731

14.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Portsmouth: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Portsmouth

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Portsmouth

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Portsmouth

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Portsmouth

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Portsmouth

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Portsmouth

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Portsmouth

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $254 in Portsmouth. 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 15% 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $55 in Portsmouth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $289 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇲 Portsmouth

🕒 Local time

12:31 12:31 PM

13:31 1:31 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

3,633

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.332 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.01 XCD (1 XCD = 0.332 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Portsmouth 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Portsmouth

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 Portsmouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,381 in Portsmouth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Portsmouth, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $55 in Portsmouth. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $921 in Portsmouth to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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