Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Airway Heights, WA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,531 in Airway Heights, WA, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Airway Heights, WA
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Airway Heights, WA Living Index
59

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

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Airway Heights, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,531

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,531 in Airway Heights, WA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Airway Heights, WA $2,531
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,742 in Airway Heights, WA versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Airway Heights, WA $3,742
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,953 in Airway Heights, WA versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Airway Heights, WA $4,953
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Airway Heights, WA is roughly 110% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Airway Heights, WA is 87% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.26 $17.26

$10.86 MX$203

58.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$44.21 MX$827

72.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.78 $9.78

$11.76 MX$220

-16.84%

Cappuccino

$4.26 $4.26

$3.68 MX$68.9

15.76%

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

$2.34 $2.34

$1.34 MX$25.11

74.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.82 MX$15.44

173.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.84 $5.84

$3.06 MX$57.3

90.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 $6.07

$4.94 MX$92.4

22.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.47 MX$27.52

-35.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.22 MX$41.47

48.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$1.48 MX$27.67

227.03%

Eggs

$4.42 $4.42

$2.49 MX$46.59

77.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.81 $15.81

$7.52 MX$141

110.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.02 $10.02

$7.96 MX$149

25.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.69 $16.69

$12.57 MX$235

32.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.78 MX$52.0

79.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.43 MX$26.71

2.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$2.62 MX$48.99

104.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.14 MX$39.99

89.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$2.02 MX$37.86

15.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.99 MX$37.21

41.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.14 MX$21.28

71.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.20 MX$22.46

55.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.30 $10.30

$4.26 MX$79.7

141.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 $13.93

$10.02 MX$187

39.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.54 MX$28.77

16.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.66 MX$49.80

64.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.53 MX$9.85

273.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.8 $58.8

$27.51 MX$515

113.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 $5.12

$4.90 MX$91.8

4.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$3.43 MX$64.3

-50.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.84 $39.84

$5.38 MX$101

640.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.45 MX$27.10

-6.21%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$21.2K MX$396.0K

31.32%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$23.0K MX$430.8K

6.29%

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

$136 $136

$85.4 MX$1,598

59.58%

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

$51.7 $51.7

$23.46 MX$439

120.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.1 $70.1

$28.43 MX$532

146.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.39 $40.39

$62.2 MX$1,164

-35.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$13.48 $13.48

$5.10 MX$95.5

164.31%

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

$1,374 $1,374

$201 MX$3,763

583.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K $14.2K

$3,947 MX$73.9K

260.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$44.39 MX$831

18.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.46 $43.46

$41.35 MX$774

5.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$72.7 MX$1,362

44.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$89.6 MX$1,677

62.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 $1,589

$979 MX$18.3K

62.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 $1,300

$373 MX$6,976

248.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,462 $2,462

$1,681 MX$31.5K

46.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 $2,156

$1,095 MX$20.5K

96.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,888 $2,888

$3,949 MX$73.9K

-26.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,183 $2,183

$6,137 MX$114.9K

-64.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,269 $4,269

$738 MX$13.8K

478.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

11.45

-40.26%

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

Last update for Airway Heights, WA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Airway Heights, WA

$1.3K 51.4%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 71.3% $927

Groceries & Markets

Airway Heights, WA

$391 15.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 33.9% $133

Eating Out

Airway Heights, WA

$278 11%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 28% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Airway Heights, WA

$258 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 46.8% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Airway Heights, WA

$156 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 28.4% $44

Getting Around

Airway Heights, WA

$80 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 35.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Airway Heights, WA

$67 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 7.5% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Airway Heights, WA and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Airway Heights, WA pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $76 in Airway Heights, WA vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $391 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Airway Heights, WA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

19:11 7:11 PM

2 h ahead of Airway Heights, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,757

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 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 October 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Airway Heights, WA Playa del Carmen 4,060 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Airway Heights, WA
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

Airway Heights, WA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Airway Heights, WA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Airway Heights, WA is about 5.8 times higher, 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: $1,589 in Airway Heights, WA versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,374 in Airway Heights, WA versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Airway Heights, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,531 in Airway Heights, WA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Airway Heights, WA. 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 52% less than in Airway Heights, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.