Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,767 in Amherst, MA, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Amherst, MA
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Amherst, MA Living Index
58

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

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Amherst, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,767

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,767 in Amherst, MA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Amherst, MA $2,767
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Amherst, MA versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Amherst, MA $4,275
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,783 in Amherst, MA versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Amherst, MA $5,783
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Amherst, MA is roughly 130% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Amherst, MA is 103% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 $20.05

$10.92 MX$205

83.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.8 $70.8

$43.37 MX$815

63.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 $8.90

$11.78 MX$221

-24.45%

Cappuccino

$4.79 $4.79

$3.81 MX$71.6

25.72%

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

$2.69 $2.69

$1.28 MX$24.10

110.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.78 MX$14.71

164.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$3.17 MX$59.5

88.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.41 $10.41

$4.93 MX$92.7

111.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.41 MX$26.43

-24.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.22 MX$41.66

44.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.00 $7.00

$1.42 MX$26.64

392.96%

Eggs

$4.69 $4.69

$2.52 MX$47.41

86.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.50 $16.50

$7.26 MX$137

127.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$7.70 MX$145

104.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.29 $18.29

$12.69 MX$239

44.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.78 MX$52.3

69.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.37 MX$25.71

5.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.55 MX$47.94

27.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.12 MX$39.90

116.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.94 MX$36.43

68.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.89 MX$35.44

96.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.15 MX$21.55

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.18 MX$22.16

71.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.69 $10.69

$4.30 MX$80.7

148.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 $12.14

$9.95 MX$187

22.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.58 MX$29.76

25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.67 MX$50.2

46.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 $1.29

$0.55 MX$10.40

134.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.34 $28.34

$26.62 MX$500

6.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 $3.56

$4.97 MX$93.4

-28.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$3.33 MX$62.6

-57.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.78 $29.78

$5.36 MX$101

455.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.44 MX$27.14

-31.25%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

33.22%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

12.36%

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

$213 $213

$84.8 MX$1,594

151.14%

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

$56.5 $56.5

$23.41 MX$440

141.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.9 $87.9

$28.66 MX$539

206.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$121 $121

$57.1 MX$1,072

112.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.90 $6.90

$28.91 MX$543

-76.13%

Cinema Ticket

$10.65 $10.65

$5.14 MX$96.6

107.20%

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

$1,466 $1,466

$207 MX$3,882

609.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K $17.2K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

337.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.22 $45.22

$43.35 MX$815

4.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.24 $40.24

$41.44 MX$779

-2.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 $91.6

$74.2 MX$1,394

23.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$89.3 MX$1,677

22.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 $1,821

$980 MX$18.4K

85.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 $1,346

$381 MX$7,157

253.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,829 $3,829

$1,708 MX$32.1K

124.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,708 $2,708

$1,075 MX$20.2K

151.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,969 $3,969

$3,943 MX$74.1K

0.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,035 $4,035

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-34.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,660 $4,660

$735 MX$13.8K

534.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

11.45

-46.72%

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

Last update for Amherst, MA: 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

Amherst, MA

$1.3K 48.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 71.7% $965

Groceries & Markets

Amherst, MA

$434 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 41.3% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amherst, MA

$357 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 61.7% $221

Eating Out

Amherst, MA

$314 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 35.6% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Amherst, MA

$143 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 52.8% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Amherst, MA

$129 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 13.4% $17

Getting Around

Amherst, MA

$44 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 14.3% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,821 in Amherst, MA and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amherst, MA pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Amherst, MA vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $434 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Amherst, MA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

Same time as Amherst, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,819

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 = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Amherst, MA Playa del Carmen 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Amherst, 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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 56% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Amherst, MA is about 6.3 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: $1,821 in Amherst, MA versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,466 in Amherst, MA versus $207 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 70% higher in Amherst, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,767 in Amherst, MA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Amherst, MA. 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 56% less than in Amherst, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.