Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Billings, MT and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,349 in Billings, MT, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Billings, MT
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Billings, MT Living Index
58

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

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Billings, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,349

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,349 per month in Billings, MT vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Billings, MT $2,349
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,546 per month in Billings, MT vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Billings, MT $3,546
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,743 per month in Billings, MT vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Billings, MT $4,743
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Billings, MT costs about 95% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Billings, MT sits 73% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.68 $25.68

$10.92 MX$205

135.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 $76.4

$43.37 MX$814

76.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.63 $13.63

$11.78 MX$221

15.70%

Cappuccino

$6.44 $6.44

$3.81 MX$71.5

69.03%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$1.28 MX$24.07

85.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.78 MX$14.70

111.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.14 $4.14

$3.17 MX$59.5

30.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 $4.91

$4.93 MX$92.7

-0.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.41 MX$26.40

-28.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.22 MX$41.62

59.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.42 MX$26.61

130.28%

Eggs

$3.09 $3.09

$2.52 MX$47.36

22.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.20 $12.20

$7.26 MX$136

68.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 $11.56

$7.70 MX$144

50.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.29 $17.29

$12.69 MX$238

36.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.78 MX$52.3

32.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.37 MX$25.68

5.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.55 MX$47.89

12.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$2.12 MX$39.86

119.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.94 MX$36.39

-42.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.89 MX$35.41

6.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.15 MX$21.53

107.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.18 MX$22.13

26.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.59 $9.59

$4.30 MX$80.6

123.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 $10.91

$9.95 MX$187

9.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.58 MX$29.73

39.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.20 $5.20

$2.67 MX$50.1

94.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.55 MX$10.39

254.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.95 $27.95

$26.62 MX$500

5.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$4.97 MX$93.3

-50.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$3.33 MX$62.5

-58.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.6 $59.6

$5.36 MX$101

1012.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.44 MX$27.11

-29.86%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

43.86%

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

$23.9K $23.9K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

1.68%

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

$171 $171

$84.8 MX$1,592

101.23%

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

$49.63 $49.63

$23.41 MX$439

112.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.1 $83.1

$28.66 MX$538

190.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.40 $41.40

$57.1 MX$1,071

-27.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.25 $15.25

$28.91 MX$543

-47.25%

Cinema Ticket

$13.89 $13.89

$5.14 MX$96.5

170.23%

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

$1,074 $1,074

$207 MX$3,878

420.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K $19.4K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

394.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 $61.1

$43.35 MX$814

40.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.3 $66.3

$41.44 MX$778

59.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 $96.7

$74.2 MX$1,393

30.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$89.3 MX$1,676

36.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,183 $1,183

$980 MX$18.4K

20.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 $1,049

$381 MX$7,150

175.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,894 $1,894

$1,708 MX$32.1K

10.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 $1,834

$1,075 MX$20.2K

70.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,472 $2,472

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-37.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,073 $2,073

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-66.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,926 $3,926

$735 MX$13.8K

434.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

11.45

-44.10%

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

Last update for Billings, MT: October 26, 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

Billings, MT

$1K 44.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 63.7% $668

Eating Out

Billings, MT

$370 15.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 45.3% $168

Groceries & Markets

Billings, MT

$357 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 28.6% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Billings, MT

$303 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 54.9% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Billings, MT

$156 6.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 28.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Billings, MT

$69 3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 2.7% $1.9

Getting Around

Billings, MT

$45 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 11.7% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,183 in Billings, MT versus $980 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 Billings, MT are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Billings, MT versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Billings, MT

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

02:08 2:08 AM

2 h ahead of Billings, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,116

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

Billings, MT Playa del Carmen 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Billings, MT
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

Billings, MT vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Billings, MT costs about 95% 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 $3,524 per month in Billings, MT and $1,806 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,183 in Billings, MT.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,074 per month in Billings, MT 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 $1,204, than in Billings, MT at $2,349. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Billings, MT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Billings, MT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.