Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port St Lucie, FL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,870 in Port St Lucie, FL, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Port St Lucie, FL
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Port St Lucie, FL Living Index
58

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

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Port St Lucie, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,870

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port St Lucie, FL and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Port St Lucie, FL and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,870 per month in Port St Lucie, FL vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port St Lucie, FL $2,870
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,018 per month in Port St Lucie, FL vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port St Lucie, FL $4,018
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,166 per month in Port St Lucie, FL vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port St Lucie, FL $5,166
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Port St Lucie, FL costs about 138% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Port St Lucie, FL sits 111% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.36 $21.36

$10.92 MX$205

95.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$43.37 MX$814

82.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 $11.34

$11.78 MX$221

-3.74%

Cappuccino

$4.28 $4.28

$3.81 MX$71.5

12.34%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$1.28 MX$24.07

137.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.78 MX$14.70

194.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 $6.03

$3.17 MX$59.5

90.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.92 $7.92

$4.93 MX$92.7

60.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.41 MX$26.40

-22.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.22 MX$41.62

74.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.42 MX$26.61

210.56%

Eggs

$3.34 $3.34

$2.52 MX$47.36

32.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.24 $12.24

$7.26 MX$136

68.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.72 $10.72

$7.70 MX$144

39.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.62 $16.62

$12.69 MX$238

30.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.78 MX$52.3

49.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.37 MX$25.68

29.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.55 MX$47.89

-20.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.12 MX$39.86

26.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.94 MX$36.39

1.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.89 MX$35.41

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.15 MX$21.53

114.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.18 MX$22.13

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.11 $9.11

$4.30 MX$80.6

111.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.77 $14.77

$9.95 MX$187

48.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.58 MX$29.73

6.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.67 MX$50.1

35.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.81 $45.81

$26.62 MX$500

72.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$4.97 MX$93.3

-40.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$3.33 MX$62.5

-42.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.35 $30.35

$5.36 MX$101

466.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.44 MX$27.11

-36.11%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

76.41%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

12.33%

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

$202 $202

$84.8 MX$1,592

138.04%

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

$64.4 $64.4

$23.41 MX$439

175.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.5 $77.5

$28.66 MX$538

170.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.87 $38.87

$57.1 MX$1,071

-31.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 $20.08

$28.91 MX$543

-30.54%

Cinema Ticket

$16.28 $16.28

$5.14 MX$96.5

216.73%

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

$1,636 $1,636

$207 MX$3,878

692.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

443.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 $53.0

$43.35 MX$814

22.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.64 $38.64

$41.44 MX$778

-6.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 $93.5

$74.2 MX$1,393

26.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 $84.9

$89.3 MX$1,676

-4.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 $1,824

$980 MX$18.4K

86.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 $1,583

$381 MX$7,150

315.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,765 $2,765

$1,708 MX$32.1K

61.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,322 $2,322

$1,075 MX$20.2K

115.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,898 $2,898

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-26.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,378 $2,378

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-61.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,826 $3,826

$735 MX$13.8K

420.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

11.45

-44.28%

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

Last update for Port St Lucie, FL: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port St Lucie, FL

$1.6K 55.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 75.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Port St Lucie, FL

$368 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 30.8% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port St Lucie, FL

$344 12%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 60.2% $207

Eating Out

Port St Lucie, FL

$324 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 37.5% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Port St Lucie, FL

$122 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 8.1% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Port St Lucie, FL

$71 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 5.7% $4.1

Getting Around

Port St Lucie, FL

$58 * 2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 13.6% $7.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,824 in Port St Lucie, FL versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Port St Lucie, FL are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Port St Lucie, FL versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $368 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Port St Lucie, FL

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:17 12:17 PM

Same time as Port St Lucie, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,603

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port St Lucie, FL Playa del Carmen 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Port St Lucie, FL
Playa del Carmen

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

Port St Lucie, FL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Port St Lucie, FL is pricier by about 138%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,305 per month in Port St Lucie, FL and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,824 in Port St Lucie, FL.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,870 in Port St Lucie, FL and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 58% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Port St Lucie, FL at $2,870. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port St Lucie, FL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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