Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acton, MA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,193 in Acton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Acton, MA
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Acton, MA Living Index
59

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

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Acton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,193

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,193 per month in Acton, MA vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Acton, MA $3,193
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $4,790 per month in Acton, MA vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Acton, MA $4,790
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $6,388 per month in Acton, MA vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Acton, MA $6,388
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Acton, MA costs about 164% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Acton, MA sits 136% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.14 $18.14

$10.76 MX$199

68.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.9 $95.9

$43.03 MX$795

122.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 $13.47

$11.79 MX$218

14.25%

Cappuccino

$5.44 $5.44

$3.87 MX$71.4

40.57%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$1.37 MX$25.29

105.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$0.84 MX$15.44

221.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.08 $5.08

$3.10 MX$57.3

63.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 $7.81

$5.07 MX$93.6

54.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.44 MX$26.55

-34.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 $2.29

$2.23 MX$41.23

2.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.28 $5.28

$1.47 MX$27.17

259.18%

Eggs

$4.79 $4.79

$2.53 MX$46.71

89.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.13 $11.13

$7.30 MX$135

52.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.57 $14.57

$7.86 MX$145

85.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.87 $17.87

$12.79 MX$236

39.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.90 MX$53.6

53.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.44 MX$26.53

19.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.55 MX$47.07

11.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.06 MX$38.03

97.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.00 MX$36.97

-3.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.01 MX$37.07

40.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.19 MX$22.02

62.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.62 $13.62

$4.40 MX$81.4

209.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.12 $9.12

$9.59 MX$177

-4.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.59 MX$29.41

37.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.81 MX$51.9

52.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.47 MX$27.08

-36.73%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

75.07%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

11.21%

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

$316 $316

$84.2 MX$1,556

275.39%

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

$60.8 $60.8

$23.99 MX$443

153.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.4 $73.4

$29.02 MX$536

152.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.68 $24.68

$63.0 MX$1,164

-60.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$12.91 $12.91

$4.94 MX$91.3

161.34%

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

$1,857 $1,857

$204 MX$3,763

811.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.9K $29.9K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

657.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 $57.5

$43.60 MX$806

31.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.97 $38.97

$43.12 MX$797

-9.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.7 $80.7

$75.8 MX$1,400

6.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$88.6 MX$1,637

15.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,698 $2,698

$1,008 MX$18.6K

167.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 $1,898

$374 MX$6,911

407.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,948 $2,948

$1,708 MX$31.6K

72.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,557 $3,557

$1,106 MX$20.4K

221.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,016 $9,016

$754 MX$13.9K

1095.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

11.45

-42.01%

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

Last update for Acton, MA: 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

Acton, MA

$1.9K 59.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 80.3% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acton, MA

$450 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 69.5% $313

Groceries & Markets

Acton, MA

$354 * 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 27% $95

Eating Out

Acton, MA

$314 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 35.5% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Acton, MA

$126 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 10% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Acton, MA

$51 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 44.3% $22

Getting Around

Acton, MA

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,698 in Acton, MA 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 1095% higher in Acton, MA, 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 $96.0 in Acton, MA versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $354 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Acton, MA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

09:05 9:05 AM

1 h behind Acton, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,596

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 →

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Between locations

Acton, MA Playa del Carmen 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Acton, MA
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

Acton, MA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Acton, MA costs about 164% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,789 per month in Acton, MA 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 $3,193 in Acton, MA and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 164%.

Kindergarten costs $1,857 per month in Acton, MA and $204 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 $1,210, than in Acton, MA at $3,193. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Acton, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $3,193 in Acton, MA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Acton, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.