Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Road Town and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,593 in Road Town, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 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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Road Town

🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands

$2,593

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Road Town 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 Road Town and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,593 per month in Road Town vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Road Town $2,593
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $4,460 per month in Road Town vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Road Town $4,460
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $6,327 per month in Road Town vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Road Town $6,327
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Road Town costs about 116% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Road Town sits 92% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.47 $17.47

$10.67 MX$199

63.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 $80.2

$43.80 MX$815

83.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 $7.92

$11.79 MX$219

-32.82%

Cappuccino

$4.60 $4.60

$3.79 MX$70.5

21.37%

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

$1.67 $1.67

$1.30 MX$24.14

28.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.83 MX$15.51

18.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.07 $4.07

$3.15 MX$58.6

29.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$4.93 MX$91.8

-63.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.41 MX$26.22

59.57%

White Bread (500g)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.20 MX$40.86

114.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.47 MX$27.40

107.48%

Eggs

$5.02 $5.02

$2.50 MX$46.47

100.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.90 MX$53.9

27.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.38 MX$25.74

145.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.49 MX$46.36

-18.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.63 $6.63

$2.03 MX$37.78

226.60%

Potato (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.02 MX$37.69

137.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.90 MX$35.42

108.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$6.24 $6.24

$1.14 MX$21.30

447.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.24 MX$23.06

54.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.37 $5.37

$4.27 MX$79.5

25.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.95 $10.95

$9.81 MX$183

11.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 $4.37

$0.51 MX$9.58

756.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.53 MX$28.44

-19.61%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

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

$160 $160

$83.5 MX$1,554

91.76%

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

$90.3 $90.3

$23.19 MX$431

289.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$124 $124

$27.61 MX$514

350.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$118 $118

$56.4 MX$1,050

109.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.09 $20.09

$28.19 MX$525

-28.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 $9.82

$5.00 MX$93.1

96.40%

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

$377 $377

$207 MX$3,854

82.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K $15.0K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

186.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.66 $46.66

$43.45 MX$809

7.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 $54.5

$42.54 MX$792

28.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$72.8 MX$1,354

75.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$88.4 MX$1,645

59.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 $1,695

$995 MX$18.5K

70.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 $1,369

$382 MX$7,116

257.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,311 $4,311

$1,674 MX$31.2K

157.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,608 $3,608

$1,081 MX$20.1K

233.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,698 $1,698

$832 MX$15.5K

103.97%

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 Road Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Road Town

–

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Groceries & Markets

Road Town

–

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Eating Out

Road Town

–

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Road Town

–

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Road Town

–

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Road Town

–

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Getting Around

Road Town

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,695 in Road Town versus $995 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 Road Town are about 2 times higher, 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 $80 in Road Town versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇬 Road Town

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:23 11:23 AM

10:23 10:23 AM

1 h behind Road Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,603 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Road Town Playa del Carmen 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Road Town
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

Road Town vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Road Town is pricier by about 116%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,889 per month in Road Town and $1,804 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 $995 there versus $1,695 in Road Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,593 in Road Town and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 54% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $377 per month in Road Town and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Road Town at $2,593. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Road Town 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, Road Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.