Cost of Living Comparison Between Portland, ME and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Portland, ME and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Portland, ME is 94% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 142.7% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Portland, ME is 145.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 96.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Portland, ME
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.63 $29.63
$11.61 MX$200
155.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$118 $118
$42.75 MX$738
176.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.96 $11.96
$10.60 MX$183
12.83%
Cappuccino
$6.13 $6.13
$3.59 MX$62.0
70.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 $2.67
$1.45 MX$25.08
84.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 $2.41
$0.90 MX$15.50
167.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.07 $6.07
$3.03 MX$52.4
100.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.92 $7.92
$4.56 MX$78.8
73.68%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Portland, ME
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.97 $0.97
$1.45 MX$25.07
-33.10%
White Bread (500g)
$3.72 $3.72
$1.83 MX$31.55
103.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$7.59 $7.59
$1.61 MX$27.77
371.43%
Eggs
$4.32 $4.32
$2.54 MX$43.82
70.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.20 $16.20
$8.54 MX$148
89.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.69 $10.69
$8.47 MX$146
26.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.77 $14.77
$10.86 MX$188
36.00%
Apples (1kg)
$3.31 $3.31
$2.73 MX$47.13
21.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 $1.70
$1.49 MX$25.77
14.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.05 $6.05
$1.94 MX$33.55
211.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.98 $5.98
$2.16 MX$37.38
176.85%
Potato (1kg)
$7.19 $7.19
$1.85 MX$31.88
288.65%
Onion (1kg)
$3.65 $3.65
$2.19 MX$37.80
66.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.47 $2.47
$1.07 MX$18.52
130.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.12 $2.12
$1.08 MX$18.71
96.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.74 $12.74
$4.06 MX$70.1
213.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.90 $14.90
$10.46 MX$181
42.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 $1.89
$1.65 MX$28.56
14.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 $3.13
$2.55 MX$44.01
22.75%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Portland, ME
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.96 $1.96
$0.56 MX$9.60
250.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$59.3 $59.3
$26.20 MX$453
126.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.04 $2.04
$3.14 MX$54.2
-35.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.77 $1.77
$2.37 MX$40.96
-25.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.00 $29.00
$3.24 MX$56.0
795.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.92 $0.92
$1.31 MX$22.70
-29.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.7K $29.7K
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-2.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.3K $25.3K
$23.8K MX$411.4K
6.26%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Portland, ME
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$214 $214
$83.1 MX$1,436
157.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$54.4 $54.4
$22.15 MX$383
145.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$82.4 $82.4
$29.37 MX$507
180.63%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Portland, ME
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$65.0 $65.0
$51.2 MX$884
27.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.61 $12.61
$18.69 MX$323
-32.53%
Cinema Ticket
$14.57 $14.57
$4.89 MX$84.4
197.96%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Portland, ME
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,246 $1,246
$199 MX$3,431
527.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$33.3K $33.3K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
539.17%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Portland, ME
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.90 $49.90
$35.93 MX$621
38.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$73.6 $73.6
$39.39 MX$680
86.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$123 $123
$80.3 MX$1,387
53.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$135 $135
$87.6 MX$1,512
53.70%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Portland, ME
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,036 $2,036
$963 MX$16.6K
111.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,456 $1,456
$482 MX$8,326
202.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,344 $3,344
$1,645 MX$28.4K
103.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,526 $2,526
$1,192 MX$20.6K
111.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,205 $4,205
$3,957 MX$68.3K
6.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,000 $4,000
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-38.59%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Portland, ME
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,519 $4,519
$726 MX$12.5K
522.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.71
11.42
-41.24%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Portland, ME: April 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

Portland, ME vs other spots: cost of living compared

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