Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spanish Town and Playa del Carmen

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.

48

Cost of Living Index in Spanish Town
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Spanish Town Living Index
58

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

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Spanish Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,009

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spanish Town is about 16% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.69 JMD 2,163

$10.92 MX$205

25.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 JMD 11.7K

$43.37 MX$813

71.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 JMD 1,331

$11.78 MX$221

-28.52%

Cappuccino

$5.23 JMD 826

$3.81 MX$71.4

37.27%

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

$1.16 JMD 183

$1.28 MX$24.03

-9.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 118

$0.78 MX$14.67

-5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 346

$3.17 MX$59.3

-30.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 JMD 500

$4.93 MX$92.5

-35.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.21 JMD 666

$1.41 MX$26.35

198.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 JMD 583

$2.22 MX$41.54

66.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 260

$1.42 MX$26.56

15.49%

Eggs

$3.53 JMD 558

$2.52 MX$47.27

40.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.42 JMD 1,804

$7.26 MX$136

57.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 JMD 1,002

$7.70 MX$144

-17.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 JMD 1,607

$12.69 MX$238

-19.86%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 959

$2.78 MX$52.2

118.35%

Banana (1kg)

$3.82 JMD 603

$1.37 MX$25.64

178.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.56 JMD 1,195

$2.55 MX$47.80

196.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 JMD 469

$2.12 MX$39.78

40.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 JMD 510

$1.94 MX$36.32

66.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 JMD 321

$1.89 MX$35.34

7.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.13 JMD 494

$1.15 MX$21.49

172.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 JMD 230

$1.18 MX$22.09

23.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.58 JMD 1,513

$4.30 MX$80.5

122.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.44 JMD 1,807

$9.95 MX$186

14.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 JMD 456

$1.58 MX$29.67

82.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 JMD 617

$2.67 MX$50.1

46.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 JMD 203

$4.97 MX$93.1

-74.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.11 JMD 491

$3.33 MX$62.4

-6.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 JMD 980

$5.36 MX$100

15.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 JMD 223

$1.44 MX$27.06

-2.08%

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

$44.0K JMD 7.0M

$20.7K MX$387.3K

113.10%

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

$32.5K JMD 5.1M

$23.5K MX$439.7K

38.61%

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

$171 JMD 27.0K

$84.8 MX$1,589

101.39%

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

$28.96 JMD 4,575

$23.41 MX$439

23.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 JMD 8,314

$28.66 MX$537

83.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 JMD 2,105

$5.14 MX$96.3

159.14%

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

$360 JMD 56.9K

$207 MX$3,871

74.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,371 JMD 1.3M

$3,927 MX$73.6K

113.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.26 JMD 3,674

$43.35 MX$812

-46.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.95 JMD 5,048

$41.44 MX$777

-22.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 JMD 12.5K

$74.2 MX$1,390

6.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.5K

$89.3 MX$1,672

16.83%

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)

$624 JMD 98.6K

$1,708 MX$32.0K

-63.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 JMD 81.1K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-52.26%

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)

$1,178 JMD 186.0K

$735 MX$13.8K

60.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

11.45

-17.47%

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

Last update for Spanish Town: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Spanish Town

$383 38%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 33.6% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spanish Town

$252 25%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 45.8% $115

Eating Out

Spanish Town

$222 22%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Spanish Town

$107 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 4% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Spanish Town

$27 * 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 153% $41

Getting Around

Spanish Town

$17 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 200% $34

Accommodation & Living

Spanish Town

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Good to know

🇯🇲 Spanish Town

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:35 12:35 PM

Same time as Spanish Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,056

149,923

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Spanish Town Playa del Carmen 1,100 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Spanish 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

Spanish Town vs Playa del Carmen: 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 $1,514 per month in Spanish Town and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $360 per month in Spanish 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.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,009 in Spanish Town and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. 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.