Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,787 in Andover, MA, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Andover, MA, United States
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Andover, MA
🇺🇸 United States
$2,787
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,787 per month in Andover, MA vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Andover, MA $2,787
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $4,130 per month in Andover, MA vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Andover, MA $4,130
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,473 per month in Andover, MA vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Andover, MA $5,473
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Andover, MA costs about 132% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Andover, MA sits 106% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Andover, MA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.86 $20.86
$10.67 MX$199
95.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$90.8 $90.8
$43.80 MX$815
107.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.91 $11.91
$11.79 MX$219
1.02%
Cappuccino
$4.35 $4.35
$3.79 MX$70.5
14.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.29 $3.29
$1.30 MX$24.14
153.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.47 $1.47
$0.83 MX$15.51
77.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.79 $6.79
$3.15 MX$58.6
115.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.30 $7.30
$4.93 MX$91.8
48.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Andover, MA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 $1.53
$1.41 MX$26.22
8.51%
White Bread (500g)
$4.91 $4.91
$2.20 MX$40.86
123.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.16 $4.16
$1.47 MX$27.40
182.99%
Eggs
$5.04 $5.04
$2.50 MX$46.47
101.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$22.79 $22.79
$7.29 MX$136
212.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.01 $13.01
$7.95 MX$148
63.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.20 $17.20
$12.86 MX$239
33.75%
Apples (1kg)
$7.15 $7.15
$2.90 MX$53.9
146.55%
Banana (1kg)
$2.11 $2.11
$1.38 MX$25.74
52.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.54 $4.54
$2.49 MX$46.36
82.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.40 $4.40
$2.03 MX$37.78
116.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.57 $1.57
$2.02 MX$37.69
-22.28%
Onion (1kg)
$2.73 $2.73
$1.90 MX$35.42
43.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.11 $1.11
$1.14 MX$21.30
-2.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$3.05 $3.05
$1.24 MX$23.06
145.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.76 $13.76
$4.27 MX$79.5
222.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.06 $16.06
$9.81 MX$183
63.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 $1.76
$1.59 MX$29.51
10.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 $2.05
$2.75 MX$51.1
-25.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Andover, MA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.84 $1.84
$0.51 MX$9.58
260.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.4 $64.4
$27.39 MX$510
135.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.11 $5.11
$4.76 MX$88.6
7.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.30 $2.30
$3.25 MX$60.5
-29.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$48.65 $48.65
$5.39 MX$100
802.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 $1.15
$1.53 MX$28.44
-24.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K $28.2K
$21.2K MX$394.8K
33.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K $26.2K
$23.3K MX$432.9K
12.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Andover, MA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$190 $190
$83.5 MX$1,554
127.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$54.1 $54.1
$23.19 MX$431
133.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 $53.6
$27.61 MX$514
94.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Andover, MA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.72 $41.72
$56.4 MX$1,050
-26.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.19 MX$525
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.20 $13.20
$5.00 MX$93.1
164.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Andover, MA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$818 $818
$207 MX$3,854
295.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.1K $35.1K
$5,231 MX$97.4K
571.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Andover, MA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.8 $58.8
$43.45 MX$809
35.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.10 $38.10
$42.54 MX$792
-10.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$53.0 $53.0
$72.8 MX$1,354
-27.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 $79.6
$88.4 MX$1,645
-9.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Andover, MA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,586 $1,586
$995 MX$18.5K
59.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,436 $1,436
$382 MX$7,116
275.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,547 $2,547
$1,674 MX$31.2K
52.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,384 $2,384
$1,081 MX$20.1K
120.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,989 $2,989
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-23.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,534 $2,534
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-58.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Andover, MA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,661 $5,661
$832 MX$15.5K
580.13%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.59
11.45
-42.45%

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

Last update for Andover, MA: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Andover, MA
$1.4K
Playa del Carmen
$382 73.4% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Andover, MA
$471
Playa del Carmen
$257 45.3% $213
Eating Out
Andover, MA
$322
Playa del Carmen
$200 37.9% $122
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Andover, MA
$298
Playa del Carmen
$134 54.9% $164
Clothing & Footwear
Andover, MA
$103
Playa del Carmen
$111 7.7% $7.9
Getting Around
Andover, MA
$88
Playa del Carmen
$50 42.9% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Andover, MA
$68
Playa del Carmen
$66 2.5% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,586 in Andover, MA versus $995 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 Andover, MA are about 6.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Andover, MA versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $471 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Andover, MA
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
18:50 6:50 PM
18:50 6:50 PM
Same time as Andover, MA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
33,475
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Andover, MA Playa del Carmen 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Andover, 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
Andover, MA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Andover, MA?
Yes – Andover, MA is pricier by about 132%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,180 per month in Andover, MA and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,586 in Andover, MA.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $818 per month in Andover, MA and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Andover, MA and in Playa del Carmen?
Groceries cost about 83% more in Andover, MA, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Andover, MA or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Andover, MA at $2,787. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Andover, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Andover, MA or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Andover, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Andover, MA vs other spots: cost of living compared

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