Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Augusta, GA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,189 in Augusta, GA, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Augusta, GA
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Augusta, GA Living Index
58

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

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Augusta, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,189

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,189 in Augusta, GA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Augusta, GA $2,189
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,126 in Augusta, GA versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Augusta, GA $3,126
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,062 in Augusta, GA versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Augusta, GA $4,062
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Augusta, GA is roughly 82% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Augusta, GA is 61% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.88 $17.88

$10.92 MX$205

63.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$43.37 MX$815

129.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 $9.57

$11.78 MX$221

-18.76%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$3.81 MX$71.6

73.23%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$1.28 MX$24.10

113.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$0.78 MX$14.71

107.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.39 $5.39

$3.17 MX$59.5

70.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.12 $8.12

$4.93 MX$92.7

64.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.41 MX$26.43

-46.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.22 MX$41.66

-0.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$1.42 MX$26.64

191.55%

Eggs

$3.89 $3.89

$2.52 MX$47.41

54.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.30 $11.30

$7.26 MX$137

55.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.74 $8.74

$7.70 MX$145

13.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.57 $14.57

$12.69 MX$239

14.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.78 MX$52.3

56.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.37 MX$25.71

-10.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$2.55 MX$47.94

46.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.12 MX$39.90

23.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.94 MX$36.43

-9.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.89 MX$35.44

51.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.15 MX$21.55

62.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.18 MX$22.16

88.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.83 $8.83

$4.30 MX$80.7

105.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.21 $10.21

$9.95 MX$187

2.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.58 MX$29.76

12.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.20 $5.20

$2.67 MX$50.2

94.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 $1.35

$0.55 MX$10.40

145.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.67 $45.67

$26.62 MX$500

71.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$4.97 MX$93.4

-60.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$3.33 MX$62.6

-62.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.44 MX$27.14

-34.03%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

33.40%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

16.75%

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

$152 $152

$84.8 MX$1,594

79.44%

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

$60.1 $60.1

$23.41 MX$440

156.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$92.6 $92.6

$28.66 MX$539

222.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.30 $17.30

$57.1 MX$1,072

-69.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$15.24 $15.24

$5.14 MX$96.6

196.50%

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

$917 $917

$207 MX$3,882

343.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.68 $48.68

$43.35 MX$815

12.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.16 $38.16

$41.44 MX$779

-7.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 $74.7

$74.2 MX$1,394

0.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.8 $73.8

$89.3 MX$1,677

-17.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,372 $1,372

$980 MX$18.4K

40.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 $1,035

$381 MX$7,157

171.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 $1,804

$1,708 MX$32.1K

5.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 $1,373

$1,075 MX$20.2K

27.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,932 $1,932

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-51.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,486 $1,486

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-75.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,225 $3,225

$735 MX$13.8K

339.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

11.45

-41.48%

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

Last update for Augusta, GA: October 25, 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

Augusta, GA

$1K 47.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 63.2% $654

Groceries & Markets

Augusta, GA

$325 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 21.6% $70

Eating Out

Augusta, GA

$312 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 35% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Augusta, GA

$305 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 55.1% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Augusta, GA

$106 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 5.5% $5.8

Getting Around

Augusta, GA

$59 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 14.9% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Augusta, GA

$48 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 40.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,372 in Augusta, GA and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Augusta, GA pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $100 in Augusta, GA vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Augusta, GA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

Same time as Augusta, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

194,343

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 →

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Between locations

Augusta, GA Playa del Carmen 1,510 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Augusta, GA
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

Augusta, GA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Augusta, GA is about 4.4 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: $1,372 in Augusta, GA versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Augusta, GA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $100 in Augusta, GA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,189 in Augusta, GA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Augusta, GA. 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 45% less than in Augusta, GA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.