Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burbank, CA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $3,642 in Burbank, CA, rent and utilities included – about $29,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

178

Cost of Living Index in Burbank, CA
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Burbank, CA Living Index
60

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

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Burbank, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,642

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,642 per month in Burbank, CA vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Burbank, CA $3,642
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $3,559 per month in Burbank, CA vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Burbank, CA $3,559
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $3,476 per month in Burbank, CA vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Burbank, CA $3,476
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Burbank, CA costs about 200% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Burbank, CA sits 172% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.41 $25.41

$10.97 MX$201

131.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 $77.1

$44.85 MX$823

71.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.95 $14.95

$11.92 MX$219

25.42%

Cappuccino

$5.79 $5.79

$3.80 MX$69.9

52.37%

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

$3.79 $3.79

$1.31 MX$24.08

189.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$0.86 MX$15.72

208.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$3.21 MX$59.0

142.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.03 $10.03

$5.01 MX$92.0

100.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.46 MX$26.77

-10.96%

White Bread (500g)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.33 MX$42.72

106.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.44 MX$26.48

215.28%

Eggs

$5.81 $5.81

$2.46 MX$45.20

136.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.40 $15.40

$7.70 MX$141

100.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.31 $16.31

$7.89 MX$145

106.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.27 $19.27

$12.80 MX$235

50.55%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.92 MX$53.6

74.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.42 MX$26.11

64.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.57 MX$47.10

53.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$2.14 MX$39.24

164.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.95 MX$35.75

62.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.94 MX$35.55

44.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.15 MX$21.13

89.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.22 MX$22.42

122.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.82 $11.82

$4.38 MX$80.3

169.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.95 $14.95

$9.85 MX$181

51.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.54 MX$28.23

62.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.72 MX$49.86

2.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.52 MX$9.64

232.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$4.91 MX$90.2

-35.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 $1.86

$3.52 MX$64.7

-47.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.06 $32.06

$5.69 MX$104

463.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.54 MX$28.27

-5.84%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

71.49%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

4.62%

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

$214 $214

$83.6 MX$1,535

155.90%

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

$78.5 $78.5

$24.03 MX$441

226.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.8 $72.8

$29.33 MX$539

148.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$129 $129

$64.9 MX$1,191

98.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$19.80 $19.80

$5.09 MX$93.4

289.00%

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

$1,670 $1,670

$208 MX$3,813

704.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K $31.8K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

685.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 $63.0

$44.55 MX$818

41.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.44 $48.44

$42.06 MX$772

15.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$75.5 MX$1,387

39.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$91.4 MX$1,678

13.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,217 $3,217

$986 MX$18.1K

226.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 $2,096

$385 MX$7,072

444.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,421 $5,421

$758 MX$13.9K

615.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

11.45

-44.89%

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

Last update for Burbank, CA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Burbank, CA

$2.1K 57.1%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 81.6% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Burbank, CA

$476 13%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 45.3% $216

Eating Out

Burbank, CA

$402 11%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 49.3% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burbank, CA

$365 10%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 62.5% $228

Sport & Entertainment

Burbank, CA

$168 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 55.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Burbank, CA

$144 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 20.9% $30

Getting Around

Burbank, CA

$19 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 169% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,217 in Burbank, CA versus $986 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 run about 615% higher in Burbank, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Burbank, CA versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $476 vs $260 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burbank, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

14:02 2:02 PM

2 h ahead of Burbank, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,340

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Burbank, CA Playa del Carmen 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Burbank, CA
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

Burbank, CA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burbank, CA costs about 200% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,463 per month in Burbank, CA and $1,823 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,642 in Burbank, CA and $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 200%.

Kindergarten costs $1,670 per month in Burbank, CA and $208 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 $1,215, than in Burbank, CA at $3,642. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burbank, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,215 versus $3,642 in Burbank, CA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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