Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens, TN and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,116 in Athens, TN, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Athens, TN
Learn more

Athens, TN Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,116

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,116 per month in Athens, TN vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Athens, TN $2,116
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,286 per month in Athens, TN vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Athens, TN $3,286
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,457 per month in Athens, TN vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Athens, TN $4,457
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Athens, TN costs about 76% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Athens, TN sits 56% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.07 $30.07

$10.67 MX$199

181.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 $108

$43.80 MX$815

146.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 $11.95

$11.79 MX$219

1.36%

Cappuccino

$5.70 $5.70

$3.79 MX$70.5

50.40%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$1.30 MX$24.14

126.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.83 MX$15.51

172.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.52 $6.52

$3.15 MX$58.6

106.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.90 $7.90

$4.93 MX$91.8

60.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.41 MX$26.22

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.20 MX$40.86

16.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$1.47 MX$27.40

167.35%

Eggs

$4.19 $4.19

$2.50 MX$46.47

67.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.83 $13.83

$7.29 MX$136

89.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.68 $6.68

$7.95 MX$148

-15.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.75 $19.75

$12.86 MX$239

53.58%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 $5.82

$2.90 MX$53.9

100.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.38 MX$25.74

7.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.61 $5.61

$2.49 MX$46.36

125.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$2.03 MX$37.78

154.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.02 MX$37.69

75.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.90 MX$35.42

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.14 MX$21.30

88.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.24 MX$23.06

33.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.27 MX$79.5

59.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.29 $15.29

$9.81 MX$183

55.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.59 MX$29.51

145.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.75 MX$51.1

77.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.51 MX$9.58

329.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.5 $53.5

$27.39 MX$510

95.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 $3.41

$4.76 MX$88.6

-28.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.25 MX$60.5

-52.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.47 $24.47

$5.39 MX$100

353.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.53 MX$28.44

-38.56%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

70.19%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

12.88%

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

$221 $221

$83.5 MX$1,554

164.16%

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

$74.4 $74.4

$23.19 MX$431

220.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 $55.7

$27.61 MX$514

101.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 $37.88

$56.4 MX$1,050

-32.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$8.21 $8.21

$5.00 MX$93.1

64.20%

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

$1,784 $1,784

$207 MX$3,854

761.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.8K $34.8K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

564.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$43.45 MX$809

21.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.25 $45.25

$42.54 MX$792

6.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 $95.9

$72.8 MX$1,354

31.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$88.4 MX$1,645

21.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$861 $861

$995 MX$18.5K

-13.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$695 $695

$382 MX$7,116

81.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 $1,465

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-12.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 $1,184

$1,081 MX$20.1K

9.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,813 $2,813

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-28.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,313 $2,313

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-62.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,189 $8,189

$832 MX$15.5K

883.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

11.45

-41.75%

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

Last update for Athens, TN: November 3, 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

Athens, TN

$695 32.9%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 45% $313

Eating Out

Athens, TN

$414 19.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 51.6% $214

Groceries & Markets

Athens, TN

$392 18.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 34.4% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens, TN

$351 16.6%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 61.7% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Athens, TN

$136 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 18% $24

Getting Around

Athens, TN

$73 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 31.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Athens, TN

$54 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 22.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $861 in Athens, TN 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 Athens, TN are about 9.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Athens, TN versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Athens, TN

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:26 1:26 PM

Same time as Athens, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,452

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens, TN Playa del Carmen 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens, TN
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

Athens, TN vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens, TN costs about 76% 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 $3,174 per month in Athens, TN and $1,804 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 Athens, TN, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $861 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,784 per month in Athens, TN 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 $1,202, than in Athens, TN at $2,116. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Athens, TN 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $2,116 in Athens, TN. 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, Athens, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.