Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alton, IL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,910 in Alton, IL, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Alton, IL
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Alton, IL Living Index
58

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

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Alton, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,910

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,910 per month in Alton, IL vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Alton, IL $1,910
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,881 per month in Alton, IL vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Alton, IL $2,881
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,852 per month in Alton, IL vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Alton, IL $3,852
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Alton, IL costs about 59% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Alton, IL sits 40% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.04 $21.04

$10.92 MX$205

92.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 $55.0

$43.37 MX$814

26.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 $10.83

$11.78 MX$221

-8.06%

Cappuccino

$4.90 $4.90

$3.81 MX$71.5

28.61%

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

$1.46 $1.46

$1.28 MX$24.07

14.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.78 MX$14.70

124.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.12 $4.12

$3.17 MX$59.5

29.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 $6.04

$4.93 MX$92.7

22.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.41 MX$26.40

-46.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.22 MX$41.62

12.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.42 MX$26.61

123.24%

Eggs

$3.19 $3.19

$2.52 MX$47.36

26.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.53 $9.53

$7.26 MX$136

31.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.70 $6.70

$7.70 MX$144

-12.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.15 $24.15

$12.69 MX$238

90.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.78 MX$52.3

60.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.37 MX$25.68

-10.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.55 MX$47.89

101.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.12 MX$39.86

131.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.94 MX$36.39

11.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.89 MX$35.41

49.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.15 MX$21.53

80.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.18 MX$22.13

81.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.90 $10.90

$4.30 MX$80.6

153.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 $12.13

$9.95 MX$187

21.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.58 MX$29.73

14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.67 MX$50.1

-1.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$4.97 MX$93.3

-40.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$3.33 MX$62.5

-49.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.44 MX$27.11

-31.25%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

32.41%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

14.48%

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

$338 $338

$84.8 MX$1,592

299.15%

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

$44.08 $44.08

$23.41 MX$439

88.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.4 $76.4

$28.66 MX$538

166.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.65 $27.65

$57.1 MX$1,071

-51.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 $12.15

$5.14 MX$96.5

136.38%

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

$280 $280

$207 MX$3,878

35.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.41 $39.41

$43.35 MX$814

-9.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.27 $42.27

$41.44 MX$778

2.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.2 $65.2

$74.2 MX$1,393

-12.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.8 $74.8

$89.3 MX$1,676

-16.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 $740

$980 MX$18.4K

-24.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$631 $631

$381 MX$7,150

65.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 $1,107

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-35.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 $1,281

$1,075 MX$20.2K

19.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,534 $1,534

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-61.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,426 $1,426

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-76.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,767 $3,767

$735 MX$13.8K

412.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-47.60%

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

Last update for Alton, IL: October 25, 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

Alton, IL

$631 33%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 39.6% $250

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alton, IL

$459 24%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 70.2% $322

Groceries & Markets

Alton, IL

$352 18.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 27.7% $97

Eating Out

Alton, IL

$305 16%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 33.7% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Alton, IL

$100 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 12% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Alton, IL

$52 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 29.6% $15

Getting Around

Alton, IL

$11 * 0.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 347% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $740 in Alton, IL 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 Alton, IL are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Alton, IL versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alton, IL

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

14:30 2:30 PM

1 h ahead of Alton, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,676

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alton, IL Playa del Carmen 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Alton, IL
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

Alton, IL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alton, IL costs about 59% 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 $2,865 per month in Alton, IL 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 Alton, IL, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $740 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,910 in Alton, IL and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 37% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $280 per month in Alton, IL and $207 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 $1,204, than in Alton, IL at $1,910. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alton, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,910 in Alton, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alton, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.