Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburn, VA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,317 in Ashburn, VA, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Ashburn, VA
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Ashburn, VA Living Index
58

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

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Ashburn, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,317

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,317 in Ashburn, VA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Ashburn, VA $3,317
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,512 in Ashburn, VA versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Ashburn, VA $4,512
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,708 in Ashburn, VA versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Ashburn, VA $5,708
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Ashburn, VA is roughly 175% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ashburn, VA is 144% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.82 $24.82

$10.92 MX$204

127.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.2 $90.2

$43.37 MX$808

107.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.86 $12.86

$11.78 MX$220

9.17%

Cappuccino

$6.06 $6.06

$3.81 MX$71.0

59.06%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$1.28 MX$23.90

132.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$0.78 MX$14.59

229.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.07 $8.07

$3.17 MX$59.0

154.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.93 $9.93

$4.93 MX$92.0

101.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.41 MX$26.22

-16.31%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.22 MX$41.33

80.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$1.42 MX$26.42

273.94%

Eggs

$5.53 $5.53

$2.52 MX$47.03

119.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.28 $17.28

$7.26 MX$135

138.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.58 $15.58

$7.70 MX$143

102.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.85 $18.85

$12.69 MX$237

48.54%

Apples (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$2.78 MX$51.9

94.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.37 MX$25.50

71.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$2.55 MX$47.55

152.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.12 MX$39.58

177.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.94 MX$36.13

45.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$1.89 MX$35.16

98.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.15 MX$21.37

108.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.18 MX$21.98

131.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 $9.64

$4.30 MX$80.1

124.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.74 $15.74

$9.95 MX$185

58.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.58 MX$29.52

42.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.67 MX$49.79

70.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.55 MX$10.31

318.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 $70.7

$26.62 MX$496

165.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 $2.91

$4.97 MX$92.6

-41.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$3.33 MX$62.1

-55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 $22.07

$5.36 MX$99.8

311.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.44 MX$26.92

-29.86%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

71.78%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

8.17%

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

$165 $165

$84.8 MX$1,581

94.43%

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

$66.5 $66.5

$23.41 MX$436

184.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.0 $78.0

$28.66 MX$534

172.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 $61.1

$57.1 MX$1,063

7.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.98 $11.98

$28.91 MX$539

-58.56%

Cinema Ticket

$18.19 $18.19

$5.14 MX$95.8

253.89%

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

$1,610 $1,610

$207 MX$3,851

679.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.7K $32.7K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

732.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$43.35 MX$808

24.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.28 $43.28

$41.44 MX$772

4.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 $99.5

$74.2 MX$1,383

34.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$89.3 MX$1,664

38.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,010 $2,010

$980 MX$18.3K

105.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,795 $1,795

$381 MX$7,099

371.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,037 $4,037

$1,708 MX$31.8K

136.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,250 $2,250

$1,075 MX$20.0K

109.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,996 $2,996

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-24.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,103 $3,103

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-49.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,539 $7,539

$735 MX$13.7K

926.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.45

-40.44%

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

Last update for Ashburn, VA: October 27, 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

Ashburn, VA

$1.8K 54.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 78.8% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Ashburn, VA

$488 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 47.8% $233

Eating Out

Ashburn, VA

$392 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 48.4% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashburn, VA

$309 9.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 55.8% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Ashburn, VA

$144 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 22.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Ashburn, VA

$97 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 30.9% $30

Getting Around

Ashburn, VA

$90 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 44.1% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,010 in Ashburn, VA and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashburn, VA pays about 10 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Ashburn, VA vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $488 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ashburn, VA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:49 4:49 PM

15:49 3:49 PM

1 h behind Ashburn, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,511

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Ashburn, VA Playa del Carmen 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ashburn, VA
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

Ashburn, VA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,317 in Ashburn, VA and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 64% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Ashburn, VA is about 10 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: $2,010 in Ashburn, VA versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,610 in Ashburn, VA 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 92% higher in Ashburn, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,317 in Ashburn, VA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Ashburn, VA. 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 64% less than in Ashburn, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.