Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,645 in Burlington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, NC
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Burlington, NC Living Index
57

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

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Burlington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,645

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Burlington, NC vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Burlington, NC $2,645
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,850 per month in Burlington, NC vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Burlington, NC $3,850
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,054 per month in Burlington, NC vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Burlington, NC $5,054
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Burlington, NC costs about 120% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Burlington, NC sits 96% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.38 $19.38

$10.67 MX$200

81.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 $74.3

$43.80 MX$823

69.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 $10.92

$11.79 MX$221

-7.38%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$3.79 MX$71.1

32.98%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$1.30 MX$24.36

101.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.83 MX$15.65

134.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 $6.16

$3.15 MX$59.1

95.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$4.93 MX$92.7

37.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.41 MX$26.46

-26.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.20 MX$41.23

60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.47 MX$27.66

187.76%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$2.50 MX$46.89

68.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 $12.02

$7.29 MX$137

64.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.26 $11.26

$7.95 MX$149

41.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 $15.19

$12.86 MX$242

18.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.90 MX$54.4

64.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.38 MX$25.98

13.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.49 MX$46.78

65.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.03 MX$38.12

127.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.02 MX$38.03

42.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.90 MX$35.74

51.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.14 MX$21.49

85.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.24 MX$23.27

70.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.40 $9.40

$4.27 MX$80.2

120.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 $13.88

$9.81 MX$184

41.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.59 MX$29.78

12.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.75 MX$51.6

22.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.51 MX$9.67

301.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 $59.9

$27.39 MX$514

118.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 $3.46

$4.76 MX$89.4

-27.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$3.25 MX$61.0

-51.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.13 $29.13

$5.39 MX$101

440.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.53 MX$28.70

-45.75%

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

$29.1K $29.1K

$21.2K MX$398.4K

37.14%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.3K MX$436.9K

10.61%

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

$188 $188

$83.5 MX$1,568

124.81%

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

$53.1 $53.1

$23.19 MX$435

128.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.2 $68.2

$27.61 MX$519

147.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.74 $42.74

$56.4 MX$1,060

-24.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

Cinema Ticket

$13.63 $13.63

$5.00 MX$93.9

172.60%

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

$1,310 $1,310

$207 MX$3,889

532.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$5,231 MX$98.2K

343.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 $50.4

$43.45 MX$816

15.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.77 $40.77

$42.54 MX$799

-4.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 $85.8

$72.8 MX$1,367

17.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$88.4 MX$1,660

29.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 $1,611

$995 MX$18.7K

61.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 $1,363

$382 MX$7,181

256.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,655 $2,655

$1,674 MX$31.4K

58.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,223 $2,223

$1,081 MX$20.3K

105.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,746 $2,746

$3,909 MX$73.4K

-29.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,444 $2,444

$6,138 MX$115.3K

-60.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.45

-43.14%

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

Last update for Burlington, NC: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, NC

$1.4K 51.5%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 72% $981

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, NC

$382 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 32.6% $124

Eating Out

Burlington, NC

$311 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 35.6% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, NC

$309 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 56.5% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, NC

$131 5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 15% $20

Getting Around

Burlington, NC

$80 3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 36.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, NC

$70 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 5.1% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,611 in Burlington, NC versus $995 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Burlington, NC versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, NC

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Burlington, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Burlington, NC Playa del Carmen 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,645 in Burlington, NC, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 55% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Burlington, NC and $1,804 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 $995 there versus $1,611 in Burlington, NC.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,310 per month in Burlington, NC 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 $1,202, than in Burlington, NC at $2,645. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington, NC 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.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.