Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antioch, CA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,646 in Antioch, CA, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Antioch, CA
🇺🇸 United States
$2,646
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,646 in Antioch, CA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Antioch, CA $2,646
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,884 in Antioch, CA versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Antioch, CA $3,884
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,122 in Antioch, CA versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Antioch, CA $5,122
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Antioch, CA is roughly 120% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Antioch, CA is 95% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Antioch, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.98 $20.98
$10.86 MX$201
93.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.6 $88.6
$44.21 MX$817
100.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.53 $12.53
$11.76 MX$217
6.55%
Cappuccino
$5.28 $5.28
$3.68 MX$68.0
43.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 $2.88
$1.34 MX$24.79
114.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.02 $3.02
$0.82 MX$15.24
268.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.92 $7.92
$3.06 MX$56.6
158.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.95 $7.95
$4.94 MX$91.2
60.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Antioch, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.24 $1.24
$1.47 MX$27.17
-15.65%
White Bread (500g)
$4.05 $4.05
$2.22 MX$40.95
82.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.43 $4.43
$1.48 MX$27.32
199.32%
Eggs
$5.68 $5.68
$2.49 MX$45.99
128.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.33 $15.33
$7.52 MX$139
103.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.01 $15.01
$7.96 MX$147
88.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.62 $18.62
$12.57 MX$232
48.13%
Apples (1kg)
$5.00 $5.00
$2.78 MX$51.3
79.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 $1.95
$1.43 MX$26.37
36.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.30 $3.30
$2.62 MX$48.37
25.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.58 $5.58
$2.14 MX$39.49
160.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 $1.79
$2.02 MX$37.38
-11.39%
Onion (1kg)
$3.33 $3.33
$1.99 MX$36.74
67.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.53 $2.53
$1.14 MX$21.01
121.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 $1.98
$1.20 MX$22.18
65.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.78 $7.78
$4.26 MX$78.7
82.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.81 $13.81
$10.02 MX$185
37.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.69 $2.69
$1.54 MX$28.41
74.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 $1.95
$2.66 MX$49.17
-26.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Antioch, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.93 $1.93
$0.53 MX$9.73
264.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.51 MX$508
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.06 $4.06
$4.90 MX$90.6
-17.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.93 $1.93
$3.43 MX$63.5
-43.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.35 $25.35
$5.38 MX$99.4
371.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 $1.48
$1.45 MX$26.76
2.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.6K $28.6K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
34.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.0K $26.0K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
13.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Antioch, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$231 $231
$85.4 MX$1,577
170.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$59.4 $59.4
$23.46 MX$434
153.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$68.7 $68.7
$28.43 MX$525
141.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Antioch, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.81 $43.81
$62.2 MX$1,149
-29.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.68 MX$530
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.03 $13.03
$5.10 MX$94.3
155.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Antioch, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,544 $1,544
$201 MX$3,715
667.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,926 $4,926
$3,947 MX$72.9K
24.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Antioch, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$25.26 $25.26
$44.39 MX$820
-43.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.68 $21.68
$41.35 MX$764
-47.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.5 $94.5
$72.7 MX$1,344
29.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.9 $78.9
$89.6 MX$1,656
-11.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Antioch, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,598 $1,598
$979 MX$18.1K
63.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,309 $1,309
$373 MX$6,887
251.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,513 $2,513
$1,681 MX$31.1K
49.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,142 $2,142
$1,095 MX$20.2K
95.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,652 $2,652
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-32.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,371 $2,371
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-61.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Antioch, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,523 $4,523
$738 MX$13.6K
513.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.5
11.45
-51.97%

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

Last update for Antioch, CA: October 20, 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
Antioch, CA
$1.3K
Playa del Carmen
$373 71.5% $937
Groceries & Markets
Antioch, CA
$439
Playa del Carmen
$258 41.1% $181
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Antioch, CA
$359
Playa del Carmen
$137 61.8% $222
Eating Out
Antioch, CA
$348
Playa del Carmen
$200 42.4% $148
Clothing & Footwear
Antioch, CA
$99
Playa del Carmen
$112 12.6% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Antioch, CA
$70
Playa del Carmen
$72 3.6% $2.5
Getting Around
Antioch, CA
$21 *
Playa del Carmen
$52 141% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,598 in Antioch, CA and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Antioch, CA pays 513% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $89.0 in Antioch, CA vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $439 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Antioch, CA
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
23:01 11:01 PM
01:01 1:01 AM
2 h ahead of Antioch, CA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
111,502
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Antioch, CA Playa del Carmen 3,850 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Antioch, CA
  • 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
Antioch, CA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Antioch, CA?
Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 120% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Antioch, CA or Playa del Carmen?
Average pay runs 513% higher in Antioch, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Antioch, CA and Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,598 in Antioch, CA versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $1,544 in Antioch, CA versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Antioch, CA or in Playa del Carmen?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $89.0 in Antioch, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Antioch, CA or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,646 in Antioch, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Antioch, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Antioch, CA or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Antioch, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in Antioch, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Antioch, CA vs other spots: cost of living compared

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