Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
59

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

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Austin, TX $2,698
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Austin, TX $4,160
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Austin, TX $5,622
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 124% 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: Austin, TX is 99% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$10.86 MX$201

89.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$44.21 MX$817

91.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$11.76 MX$217

2.64%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.68 MX$68.0

48.91%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.34 MX$24.79

183.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.82 MX$15.24

201.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.06 MX$56.6

163.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$4.94 MX$91.2

79.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.47 MX$27.17

-24.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.22 MX$40.95

67.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.48 MX$27.32

127.70%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.49 MX$45.99

73.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$7.52 MX$139

74.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$7.96 MX$147

77.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$12.57 MX$232

29.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.78 MX$51.3

63.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.43 MX$26.37

2.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.62 MX$48.37

79.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.14 MX$39.49

93.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.02 MX$37.38

27.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.99 MX$36.74

18.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.14 MX$21.01

55.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.20 MX$22.18

78.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$4.26 MX$78.7

137.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$10.02 MX$185

51.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.54 MX$28.41

83.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.66 MX$49.17

29.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.53 MX$9.73

190.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$27.51 MX$508

49.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$4.90 MX$90.6

-42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$3.43 MX$63.5

-53.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$5.38 MX$99.4

538.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.45 MX$26.76

-35.17%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

60.61%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

16.28%

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

$223 $223

$85.4 MX$1,577

160.84%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$23.46 MX$434

151.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$28.43 MX$525

148.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$62.2 MX$1,149

-7.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$28.68 MX$530

-42.36%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$5.10 MX$94.3

179.61%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$201 MX$3,715

651.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

429.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$44.39 MX$820

15.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$41.35 MX$764

6.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$72.7 MX$1,344

19.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$89.6 MX$1,656

16.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$979 MX$18.1K

98.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$373 MX$6,887

253.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,681 MX$31.1K

118.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,095 MX$20.2K

134.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$3,949 MX$73.0K

86.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-49.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$738 MX$13.6K

616.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.45

-40.70%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 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

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 71.7% $944

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 36.3% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 61% $215

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 42.8% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 13.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 16% $14

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 10.8% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 617% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

Same time as Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Playa del Carmen 1,510 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
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

Austin, TX vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 124% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 617% higher in Austin, TX, 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 124% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 49% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 124% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.