Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abilene, TX and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,186 in Abilene, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Abilene, TX
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Abilene, TX Living Index
59

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

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Abilene, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,186

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,186 in Abilene, TX versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Abilene, TX $2,186
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,178 in Abilene, TX versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Abilene, TX $3,178
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,169 in Abilene, TX versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Abilene, TX $4,169
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Abilene, TX is roughly 81% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Abilene, TX is 62% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 $18.06

$10.76 MX$199

67.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.4 $64.4

$43.03 MX$795

49.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 $9.13

$11.79 MX$218

-22.56%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.87 MX$71.4

41.34%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$1.37 MX$25.29

73.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.84 MX$15.44

121.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.10 MX$57.3

60.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$5.07 MX$93.6

14.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.44 MX$26.55

-28.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.23 MX$41.23

4.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$1.47 MX$27.17

282.99%

Eggs

$3.73 $3.73

$2.53 MX$46.71

47.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 $8.39

$7.30 MX$135

14.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$7.86 MX$145

65.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$12.79 MX$236

9.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.90 MX$53.6

16.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.44 MX$26.53

-32.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.55 MX$47.07

83.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.06 MX$38.03

157.28%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.00 MX$36.97

111.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.01 MX$37.07

74.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.19 MX$22.02

108.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.26 MX$23.23

55.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 $5.85

$4.40 MX$81.4

32.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.31 $11.31

$9.59 MX$177

17.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.59 MX$29.41

60.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.81 MX$51.9

46.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.57 MX$10.47

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 $53.3

$27.82 MX$514

91.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.86 $14.86

$5.40 MX$99.8

175.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.47 MX$27.08

-41.50%

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

$19.1K $19.1K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

-8.92%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

2.33%

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

$236 $236

$84.2 MX$1,556

180.64%

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

$58.7 $58.7

$23.99 MX$443

144.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 $61.3

$29.02 MX$536

111.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.16 $20.16

$63.0 MX$1,164

-67.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$12.02 $12.02

$4.94 MX$91.3

143.32%

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

$204 MX$3,763

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.11 $42.11

$43.60 MX$806

-3.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.74 $19.74

$43.12 MX$797

-54.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.9 $62.9

$75.8 MX$1,400

-16.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 $65.6

$88.6 MX$1,637

-25.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 $1,160

$1,008 MX$18.6K

15.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$981 $981

$374 MX$6,911

162.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 $1,847

$1,708 MX$31.6K

8.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 $1,601

$1,106 MX$20.4K

44.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,667 $1,667

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-57.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,711 $1,711

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-72.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,281 $3,281

$754 MX$13.9K

335.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

11.45

-43.32%

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

Last update for Abilene, TX: October 12, 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

Abilene, TX

$981 44.9%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 61.9% $607

Groceries & Markets

Abilene, TX

$368 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 29.8% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abilene, TX

$356 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 61.5% $219

Eating Out

Abilene, TX

$291 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 30.5% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Abilene, TX

$86 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 31.9% $27

Getting Around

Abilene, TX

$60 * 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 12.6% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Abilene, TX

$44 2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 64.9% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,160 in Abilene, TX and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abilene, TX pays 335% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Abilene, TX vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Abilene, TX

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

Same time as Abilene, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,182

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Abilene, TX Playa del Carmen 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Abilene, TX
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

Abilene, TX vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abilene, TX and Playa del Carmen differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($2,186 vs $1,210 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 335% higher in Abilene, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,160 in Abilene, TX versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $64.0 in Abilene, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 92% less than in Abilene, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,186 in Abilene, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Abilene, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Abilene, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.