Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baraboo, WI and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,376 in Baraboo, WI, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Baraboo, WI
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Baraboo, WI Living Index
59

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

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Baraboo, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,376

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,376 in Baraboo, WI versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Baraboo, WI $2,376
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,386 in Baraboo, WI versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Baraboo, WI $3,386
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,395 in Baraboo, WI versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Baraboo, WI $4,395
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Baraboo, WI is roughly 97% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Baraboo, WI is 75% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.14 $14.14

$10.86 MX$201

30.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.27 $40.27

$44.21 MX$817

-8.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$11.76 MX$217

2.89%

Cappuccino

$4.88 $4.88

$3.68 MX$68.0

32.61%

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

$1.47 $1.47

$1.34 MX$24.79

9.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.82 MX$15.24

84.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.06 MX$56.6

64.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 $3.43

$4.94 MX$91.2

-30.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.47 MX$27.17

-46.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.22 MX$40.95

28.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.48 MX$27.32

97.97%

Eggs

$2.96 $2.96

$2.49 MX$45.99

18.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.95 $7.95

$7.52 MX$139

5.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.50 $11.50

$7.96 MX$147

44.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 $10.56

$12.57 MX$232

-15.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.78 MX$51.3

44.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.43 MX$26.37

-12.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.62 MX$48.37

36.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.14 MX$39.49

154.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.02 MX$37.38

-14.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.99 MX$36.74

61.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.14 MX$21.01

48.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.20 MX$22.18

67.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.13 $12.13

$4.26 MX$78.7

184.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$10.02 MX$185

-19.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.54 MX$28.41

9.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.66 MX$49.17

27.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.53 MX$9.73

226.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$4.90 MX$90.6

-39.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 $1.61

$3.43 MX$63.5

-53.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.75 $26.75

$5.38 MX$99.4

397.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.45 MX$26.76

-28.28%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

14.76%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

11.26%

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

$172 $172

$85.4 MX$1,577

101.25%

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

$52.7 $52.7

$23.46 MX$434

124.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 $51.4

$28.43 MX$525

80.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.57 $41.57

$62.2 MX$1,149

-33.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$11.57 $11.57

$5.10 MX$94.3

126.86%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$201 MX$3,715

649.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

430.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 $56.2

$44.39 MX$820

26.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.90 $42.90

$41.35 MX$764

3.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 $89.5

$72.7 MX$1,344

23.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 $128

$89.6 MX$1,656

42.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 $1,613

$979 MX$18.1K

64.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 $1,307

$373 MX$6,887

250.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,474 $2,474

$1,681 MX$31.1K

47.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,148 $2,148

$1,095 MX$20.2K

96.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,173 $2,173

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-44.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,193 $2,193

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-64.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

11.45

-43.84%

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

Last update for Baraboo, WI: October 18, 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

Baraboo, WI

$1.3K 55%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 71.5% $934

Groceries & Markets

Baraboo, WI

$316 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 18.2% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baraboo, WI

$276 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 50.3% $139

Eating Out

Baraboo, WI

$252 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 20.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Baraboo, WI

$142 6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 21.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Baraboo, WI

$65 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 11.9% $7.7

Getting Around

Baraboo, WI

$18 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 188% $34

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 $1,613 in Baraboo, WI and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Baraboo, WI vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $258, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Baraboo, WI

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

Same time as Baraboo, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,556

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Baraboo, WI Playa del Carmen 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Baraboo, WI
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

Baraboo, WI vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 97% lower than in Baraboo, WI. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,564 in Baraboo, WI and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,613 in Baraboo, WI versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Baraboo, WI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,376 per month in Baraboo, WI versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 97% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,376 in Baraboo, WI, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Baraboo, WI. 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.

Safety-wise, Baraboo, WI and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Baraboo, WI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.