Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caldwell, TX and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,449 in Caldwell, TX, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Caldwell, TX
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Caldwell, TX Living Index
58

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

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Caldwell, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,449

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,449 in Caldwell, TX versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Caldwell, TX $2,449
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,548 in Caldwell, TX versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Caldwell, TX $3,548
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,647 in Caldwell, TX versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Caldwell, TX $4,647
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Caldwell, TX is roughly 103% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Caldwell, TX is 80% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.88 $14.88

$10.92 MX$204

36.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.4 $60.4

$43.37 MX$810

39.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$11.78 MX$220

-16.13%

Cappuccino

$3.97 $3.97

$3.81 MX$71.2

4.20%

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

$1.47 $1.47

$1.28 MX$23.96

14.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.78 MX$14.63

121.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.13 $5.13

$3.17 MX$59.2

61.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 $6.05

$4.93 MX$92.2

22.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.41 MX$26.28

-45.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.22 MX$41.43

22.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.42 MX$26.48

178.87%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$2.52 MX$47.14

15.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 $10.95

$7.26 MX$136

50.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.64 $15.64

$7.70 MX$144

103.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.53 $24.53

$12.69 MX$237

93.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.78 MX$52.0

57.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.37 MX$25.56

29.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.55 MX$47.66

74.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.12 MX$39.67

25.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.94 MX$36.22

11.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.89 MX$35.24

-8.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.15 MX$21.42

78.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.18 MX$22.03

67.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.61 $9.61

$4.30 MX$80.3

123.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.68 $10.68

$9.95 MX$186

7.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.58 MX$29.59

6.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.67 MX$49.91

33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.55 MX$10.34

256.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.0 $51.0

$26.62 MX$497

91.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 $3.33

$4.97 MX$92.9

-33.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$3.33 MX$62.2

-50.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.34 $26.34

$5.36 MX$100

391.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.44 MX$26.98

-34.72%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

28.16%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

8.36%

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

$173 $173

$84.8 MX$1,584

104.28%

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

$25.30 $25.30

$23.41 MX$437

8.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.5 $68.5

$28.66 MX$535

138.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.60 $40.60

$57.1 MX$1,066

-28.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.85 $9.85

$28.91 MX$540

-65.93%

Cinema Ticket

$14.96 $14.96

$5.14 MX$96.0

191.05%

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

$1,521 $1,521

$207 MX$3,860

636.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K $24.7K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

527.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.35 $22.35

$43.35 MX$810

-48.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 $56.1

$41.44 MX$774

35.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.9 $64.9

$74.2 MX$1,386

-12.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 $96.4

$89.3 MX$1,668

7.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 $1,565

$980 MX$18.3K

59.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 $1,297

$381 MX$7,116

240.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,531 $2,531

$1,708 MX$31.9K

48.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 $2,115

$1,075 MX$20.1K

96.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 $2,784

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-29.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,330 $2,330

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-62.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,333 $1,333

$735 MX$13.7K

81.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

11.45

-42.18%

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

Last update for Caldwell, TX: October 25, 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

Caldwell, TX

$1.3K 53%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 70.6% $916

Groceries & Markets

Caldwell, TX

$389 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 34.6% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caldwell, TX

$267 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 48.7% $130

Eating Out

Caldwell, TX

$247 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 18% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Caldwell, TX

$108 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 3.6% $3.8

Getting Around

Caldwell, TX

$70 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 28.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Caldwell, TX

$71 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 4.5% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,565 in Caldwell, TX and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caldwell, TX pays 82% 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: $60 in Caldwell, TX vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Caldwell, TX

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

Same time as Caldwell, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,996

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Caldwell, TX Playa del Carmen 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Caldwell, TX
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

Caldwell, TX vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Caldwell, TX. 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 82% higher in Caldwell, TX, 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: $1,565 in Caldwell, TX versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $60 in Caldwell, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,449 per month in Caldwell, TX versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 103% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,449 in Caldwell, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Caldwell, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Caldwell, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.