Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,388 in Augusta, ME, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Augusta, ME
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Augusta, ME 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, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,388

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,388 in Augusta, ME versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Augusta, ME $2,388
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,317 in Augusta, ME versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Augusta, ME $3,317
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,246 in Augusta, ME versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Augusta, ME $4,246
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Augusta, ME is roughly 98% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Augusta, ME is 75% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 $19.90

$10.92 MX$205

82.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.1 $53.1

$43.37 MX$814

22.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 $10.39

$11.78 MX$221

-11.80%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$3.81 MX$71.5

41.73%

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

$2.36 $2.36

$1.28 MX$24.07

84.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.78 MX$14.70

103.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.17 MX$59.5

58.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 $7.72

$4.93 MX$92.7

56.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.41 MX$26.40

-19.15%

White Bread (500g)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.22 MX$41.62

105.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.42 MX$26.61

2.11%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$2.52 MX$47.36

57.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$7.26 MX$136

107.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.12 $14.12

$7.70 MX$144

83.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.52 $19.52

$12.69 MX$238

53.82%

Apples (1kg)

$7.48 $7.48

$2.78 MX$52.3

169.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.37 MX$25.68

-4.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.55 MX$47.89

21.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.12 MX$39.86

116.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.94 MX$36.39

20.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.89 MX$35.41

51.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.15 MX$21.53

80.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.18 MX$22.13

53.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$4.30 MX$80.6

178.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 $12.99

$9.95 MX$187

30.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.58 MX$29.73

-1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 $1.55

$2.67 MX$50.1

-41.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$4.97 MX$93.3

-48.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$3.33 MX$62.5

-61.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.55 $28.55

$5.36 MX$101

432.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.44 MX$27.11

-37.50%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

43.12%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

3.43%

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

$243 $243

$84.8 MX$1,592

186.53%

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

$45.59 $45.59

$23.41 MX$439

94.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 $61.0

$28.66 MX$538

112.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.60 $22.60

$57.1 MX$1,071

-60.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$5.14 MX$96.5

174.90%

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

$2,656 $2,656

$207 MX$3,878

1185.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.6K $36.6K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

831.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.5 $73.5

$43.35 MX$814

69.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$41.44 MX$778

22.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$74.2 MX$1,393

52.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 $154

$89.3 MX$1,676

73.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 $1,200

$980 MX$18.4K

22.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 $1,078

$381 MX$7,150

183.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 $1,602

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-6.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 $1,473

$1,075 MX$20.2K

36.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,386 $2,386

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-39.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,378 $2,378

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-61.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,948 $1,948

$735 MX$13.8K

165.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.3

11.45

-44.98%

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

Last update for Augusta, ME: October 24, 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, ME

$1.1K 45.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 64.7% $697

Groceries & Markets

Augusta, ME

$413 17.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 38.3% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Augusta, ME

$349 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 60.8% $213

Eating Out

Augusta, ME

$312 13%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 35% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Augusta, ME

$176 7.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 36.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Augusta, ME

$51 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 32.4% $16

Getting Around

Augusta, ME

$8.9 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 468% $42

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 $1,200 in Augusta, ME and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Augusta, ME pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $53 in Augusta, ME vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Augusta, ME

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

Same time as Augusta, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

194,343

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 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 = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Augusta, ME Playa del Carmen 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,388 in Augusta, ME and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Augusta, ME is about 2.7 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: $1,200 in Augusta, ME versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,656 in Augusta, ME versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $53 in Augusta, ME. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,388 in Augusta, ME, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Augusta, ME. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Augusta, ME on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.