Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Spanish Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Spanish Town: $1,009 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Spanish Town
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Spanish Town Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Spanish Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Spanish Town

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,009 in Spanish Town, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Spanish Town $1,009

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,922 in Spanish Town, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Spanish Town $1,922

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,834 in Spanish Town, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Spanish Town $2,834

Playa del Carmen costs about 19% more than Spanish Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Spanish Town are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Spanish Town 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$13.69 JMD 2,163

-20.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$74.3 JMD 11.7K

-41.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.42 JMD 1,331

39.90%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$5.23 JMD 826

-27.15%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.16 JMD 183

10.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.74 JMD 118

5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$2.19 JMD 346

44.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$3.17 JMD 500

55.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$4.21 JMD 666

-66.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$3.69 JMD 583

-39.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.64 JMD 260

-13.41%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$3.53 JMD 558

-28.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$11.42 JMD 1,804

-36.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.34 JMD 1,002

21.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$10.17 JMD 1,607

24.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$6.07 JMD 959

-54.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$3.82 JMD 603

-64.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$7.56 JMD 1,195

-66.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$2.97 JMD 469

-28.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$3.23 JMD 510

-39.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$2.03 JMD 321

-6.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$3.13 JMD 494

-63.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$1.46 JMD 230

-19.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$9.58 JMD 1,513

-55.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$11.44 JMD 1,807

-13.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$2.88 JMD 456

-45.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.91 JMD 617

-31.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$1.28 JMD 203

288.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$3.11 JMD 491

7.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$6.21 JMD 980

-13.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.41 JMD 223

2.13%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$44.0K JMD 7.0M

-53.07%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$32.5K JMD 5.1M

-27.85%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$171 JMD 27.0K

-50.35%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$28.96 JMD 4,575

-19.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$52.6 JMD 8,314

-45.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$13.32 JMD 2,105

-61.41%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$360 JMD 56.9K

-42.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$8,371 JMD 1.3M

-53.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$23.26 JMD 3,674

86.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$31.95 JMD 5,048

29.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$79.1 JMD 12.5K

-6.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$104 JMD 16.5K

-14.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$624 JMD 98.6K

173.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$513 JMD 81.1K

109.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,178 JMD 186.0K

-37.63%

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 Spanish Town: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Spanish Town

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Spanish Town

$383 38% 50.5% $129

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Spanish Town

$222 22% 9.9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Spanish Town

$252 25% 84.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Spanish Town

$107 10.6% 3.9% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Spanish Town

$27 * 2.6% 60.4% $41

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Spanish Town

$17 * 1.7% 66.7% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 60% higher in Spanish Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $74 in Spanish Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $383 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇲 Spanish Town

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

131,056

💱 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 Spanish Town 1,100 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Spanish Town

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 Spanish Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,514 in Spanish Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,009 in Spanish Town. That makes Spanish Town about 16% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $360 in Spanish Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,009 in Spanish Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,009 in Spanish Town to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.