Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, IA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,769 in Burlington, IA, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
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Burlington, IA Living Index
59

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

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Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,769

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,769 in Burlington, IA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Burlington, IA $1,769
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,675 in Burlington, IA versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Burlington, IA $2,675
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,580 in Burlington, IA versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Burlington, IA $3,580
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Burlington, IA is roughly 47% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Burlington, IA is 31% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.35 $11.35

$10.86 MX$201

4.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$44.21 MX$817

33.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 $8.84

$11.76 MX$217

-24.83%

Cappuccino

$4.74 $4.74

$3.68 MX$68.0

28.80%

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

$1.95 $1.95

$1.34 MX$24.79

45.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.82 MX$15.24

146.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.06 MX$56.6

11.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 $4.58

$4.94 MX$91.2

-7.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.47 MX$27.17

-44.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.22 MX$40.95

27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.48 MX$27.32

193.24%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$2.49 MX$45.99

17.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 $11.37

$7.52 MX$139

51.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$7.96 MX$147

49.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 $14.20

$12.57 MX$232

12.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.78 MX$51.3

44.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.43 MX$26.37

38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.62 MX$48.37

75.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.14 MX$39.49

117.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.02 MX$37.38

35.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.99 MX$36.74

30.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.14 MX$21.01

35.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.20 MX$22.18

71.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.26 MX$78.7

91.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 $16.29

$10.02 MX$185

62.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.54 MX$28.41

22.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.66 MX$49.17

-14.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.53 MX$9.73

266.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.76 $15.76

$27.51 MX$508

-42.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.67 $4.67

$4.90 MX$90.6

-4.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 $1.02

$3.43 MX$63.5

-70.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.19 $22.19

$5.38 MX$99.4

312.45%

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)

$22.7K $22.7K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

7.43%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

8.53%

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

$184 $184

$85.4 MX$1,577

115.67%

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

$47.16 $47.16

$23.46 MX$434

101.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 $59.2

$28.43 MX$525

108.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$62.2 MX$1,149

-31.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$5.10 MX$94.3

133.73%

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

$1,210 $1,210

$201 MX$3,715

501.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K $13.3K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

237.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.72 $44.72

$44.39 MX$820

0.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.53 $30.53

$41.35 MX$764

-26.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$72.7 MX$1,344

19.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.90 $37.90

$89.6 MX$1,656

-57.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 $754

$979 MX$18.1K

-22.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 $707

$373 MX$6,887

89.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 $1,172

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-30.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$1,095 MX$20.2K

16.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,026 $1,026

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-74.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,033 $1,033

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-83.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,446 $4,446

$738 MX$13.6K

502.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

11.45

-42.88%

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

Last update for Burlington, IA: 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

Burlington, IA

$707 40%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 47.3% $334

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, IA

$366 20.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 29.4% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, IA

$290 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 52.7% $153

Eating Out

Burlington, IA

$216 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 7.5% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, IA

$90 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 24% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, IA

$66 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 9.3% $6.1

Getting Around

Burlington, IA

$33 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 55.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $754 in Burlington, IA and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, IA pays 503% 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: $59.0 in Burlington, IA vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

Same time as Burlington, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

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

Burlington, IA Playa del Carmen 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, IA
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

Burlington, IA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Burlington, IA. 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 503% higher in Burlington, IA, 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: $754 in Burlington, IA versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,210 in Burlington, IA versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Burlington, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,769 in Burlington, IA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Burlington, IA. 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, Burlington, IA 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 47% less than in Burlington, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.