Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between West Palm Beach, FL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,217 in West Palm Beach, FL, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in West Palm Beach, FL
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West Palm Beach, 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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West Palm Beach, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,217

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in West Palm Beach, 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 West Palm Beach, FL and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,217 per month in West Palm Beach, FL vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

West Palm Beach, FL $3,217
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,825 per month in West Palm Beach, FL vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

West Palm Beach, FL $4,825
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $6,433 per month in West Palm Beach, FL vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

West Palm Beach, FL $6,433
Playa del Carmen $2,959

West Palm Beach, FL costs about 167% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

West Palm Beach, FL sits 136% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.09 $21.09

$10.92 MX$205

93.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.1 $81.1

$43.37 MX$815

86.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$11.78 MX$221

1.61%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$3.81 MX$71.6

41.73%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$1.28 MX$24.10

91.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.78 MX$14.71

135.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.82 $5.82

$3.17 MX$59.5

83.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.15 $8.15

$4.93 MX$92.7

65.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.41 MX$26.43

-24.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.22 MX$41.66

38.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.42 MX$26.64

136.62%

Eggs

$3.56 $3.56

$2.52 MX$47.41

41.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 $12.21

$7.26 MX$137

68.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.08 $11.08

$7.70 MX$145

43.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.16 $18.16

$12.69 MX$239

43.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.78 MX$52.3

71.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.37 MX$25.71

25.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.55 MX$47.94

15.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.12 MX$39.90

121.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.94 MX$36.43

60.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.89 MX$35.44

76.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.15 MX$21.55

126.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.18 MX$22.16

104.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.53 $9.53

$4.30 MX$80.7

121.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 $12.87

$9.95 MX$187

29.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.58 MX$29.76

8.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.67 MX$50.2

39.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.55 MX$10.40

270.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.8 $68.8

$26.62 MX$500

158.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$4.97 MX$93.4

-40.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$3.33 MX$62.6

-44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.88 $34.88

$5.36 MX$101

550.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.44 MX$27.14

-30.56%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

35.82%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

10.88%

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

$201 $201

$84.8 MX$1,594

137.59%

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

$63.9 $63.9

$23.41 MX$440

173.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.2 $76.2

$28.66 MX$539

165.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.67 $41.67

$57.1 MX$1,072

-26.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.98 $24.98

$28.91 MX$543

-13.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.10 $10.10

$5.14 MX$96.6

96.50%

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

$1,488 $1,488

$207 MX$3,882

620.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K $21.4K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

444.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.9 $63.9

$43.35 MX$815

47.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 $40.88

$41.44 MX$779

-1.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 $95.0

$74.2 MX$1,394

28.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$89.3 MX$1,677

23.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,624 $2,624

$980 MX$18.4K

167.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 $1,870

$381 MX$7,157

391.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,348 $5,348

$1,708 MX$32.1K

213.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,427 $3,427

$1,075 MX$20.2K

218.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,343 $5,343

$3,943 MX$74.1K

35.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,324 $3,324

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-46.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,976 $3,976

$735 MX$13.8K

441.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

11.45

-42.71%

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

Last update for West Palm Beach, FL: October 26, 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

West Palm Beach, FL

$1.9K 58.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 79.6% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

West Palm Beach, FL

$382 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 33.3% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

West Palm Beach, FL

$342 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 59.9% $205

Eating Out

West Palm Beach, FL

$332 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 39% $130

Clothing & Footwear

West Palm Beach, FL

$140 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 19.9% $28

Getting Around

West Palm Beach, FL

$89 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 43.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

West Palm Beach, FL

$62 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 8.8% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,624 in West Palm Beach, 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 West Palm Beach, FL are about 5.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in West Palm Beach, FL versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 West Palm Beach, FL

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:40 11:40 PM

Same time as West Palm Beach, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,415

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

West Palm Beach, FL Playa del Carmen 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

West Palm Beach, 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

West Palm Beach, FL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – West Palm Beach, FL is pricier by about 167%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,825 per month in West Palm Beach, 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 $2,624 in West Palm Beach, FL.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,217 in West Palm Beach, FL and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 63% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 61% 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 West Palm Beach, FL at $3,217. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in West Palm Beach, 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, West Palm Beach, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.