Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Helier and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,362 in Saint Helier, rent and utilities included – about $25,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

163

Cost of Living Index in Saint Helier
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Saint Helier Living Index
59

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

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Saint Helier

🇯🇪 Jersey

$3,362

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,362 per month in Saint Helier vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint Helier $3,362
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $4,954 per month in Saint Helier vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint Helier $4,954
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $6,547 per month in Saint Helier vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint Helier $6,547
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Saint Helier costs about 178% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Saint Helier sits 149% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$39.19 JEP 29.43

$10.76 MX$199

264.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 JEP 89.3

$43.03 MX$795

176.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.44 JEP 7.84

$11.79 MX$218

-11.45%

Cappuccino

$4.85 JEP 3.64

$3.87 MX$71.4

25.32%

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

$3.35 JEP 2.51

$1.37 MX$25.29

144.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 JEP 1.91

$0.84 MX$15.44

203.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 JEP 5.84

$3.10 MX$57.3

150.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.35 JEP 4.77

$5.07 MX$93.6

25.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 JEP 1.66

$1.44 MX$26.55

53.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 JEP 2.03

$2.23 MX$41.23

21.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.64 JEP 2.73

$1.47 MX$27.17

147.62%

Eggs

$6.38 JEP 4.79

$2.53 MX$46.71

152.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.25 JEP 5.44

$7.30 MX$135

-0.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 JEP 8.78

$7.86 MX$145

48.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.34 JEP 13.77

$12.79 MX$236

43.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 JEP 3.20

$2.90 MX$53.6

46.90%

Banana (1kg)

$3.41 JEP 2.56

$1.44 MX$26.53

136.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.07 JEP 3.05

$2.55 MX$47.07

59.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 JEP 3.28

$2.06 MX$38.03

111.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 JEP 2.35

$2.00 MX$36.97

56.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 JEP 2.37

$2.01 MX$37.07

57.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 JEP 1.41

$1.19 MX$22.02

57.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 JEP 1.84

$1.26 MX$23.23

93.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.79 JEP 14.87

$4.40 MX$81.4

349.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.74 JEP 8.07

$9.59 MX$177

11.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.75 JEP 3.57

$1.59 MX$29.41

198.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 JEP 5.91

$2.81 MX$51.9

179.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 JEP 2.53

$0.57 MX$10.47

489.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.4 JEP 52.1

$27.82 MX$514

149.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 JEP 3.97

$4.98 MX$92.1

6.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 JEP 1.88

$3.50 MX$64.6

-28.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$53.2 JEP 39.98

$5.40 MX$99.8

885.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 JEP 1.54

$1.47 MX$27.08

39.46%

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

$26.9K JEP 20.2K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

28.33%

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

$36.2K JEP 27.2K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

51.32%

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

$315 JEP 236

$84.2 MX$1,556

273.63%

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

$44.73 JEP 33.59

$23.99 MX$443

86.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.8 JEP 54.7

$29.02 MX$536

150.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 JEP 57.0

$63.0 MX$1,164

20.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.43 JEP 21.35

$29.14 MX$539

-2.44%

Cinema Ticket

$19.51 JEP 14.65

$4.94 MX$91.3

294.94%

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

$2,670 JEP 2,006

$204 MX$3,763

1211.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K JEP 8,868

$3,941 MX$72.8K

199.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 JEP 77.5

$43.60 MX$806

136.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.7 JEP 55.3

$43.12 MX$797

70.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 JEP 88.1

$75.8 MX$1,400

54.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$209 JEP 157

$88.6 MX$1,637

135.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,846 JEP 1,386

$1,008 MX$18.6K

83.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 JEP 1,195

$374 MX$6,911

325.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,297 JEP 2,476

$1,708 MX$31.6K

93.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 JEP 1,914

$1,106 MX$20.4K

130.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.4K JEP 8,558

$3,944 MX$72.9K

188.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.4K JEP 7,806

$6,169 MX$114.0K

68.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,609 JEP 3,461

$754 MX$13.9K

511.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

11.45

-64.37%

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

Last update for Saint Helier: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Helier

$1.6K 47.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 76.5% $1.2K

Eating Out

Saint Helier

$478 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 57.7% $276

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Helier

$432 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 68.2% $295

Groceries & Markets

Saint Helier

$418 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 38.1% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Helier

$226 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 50.1% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Helier

$115 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 36.6% $42

Getting Around

Saint Helier

$101 3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 47.8% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,846 in Saint Helier versus $1,008 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 run about 511% higher in Saint Helier, 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 $119 in Saint Helier versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $418 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇪 Saint Helier

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:20 1:20 AM

19:20 7:20 PM

6 h behind Saint Helier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,522 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Jersey Pound JEP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 JEP = 1.33 USD

1 JEP = 1.18 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JEP – Jersey Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇪 Jersey Pound (£)

Jersey Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.751 JEP (1 JEP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.844 JEP (1 JEP = 1.18 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to JEP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Saint Helier Playa del Carmen 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Helier
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

Saint Helier vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint Helier is pricier by about 178%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,043 per month in Saint Helier and $1,816 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,362 in Saint Helier and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 178%.

Public transport costs about 149% 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 $1,210, than in Saint Helier at $3,362. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Helier 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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