Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,615 in Camarillo, CA, rent and utilities included – about $28,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Camarillo, CA
🇺🇸 United States
$3,615
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,615 in Camarillo, CA versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Camarillo, CA $3,615
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,284 in Camarillo, CA versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Camarillo, CA $5,284
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,953 in Camarillo, CA versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Camarillo, CA $6,953
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Camarillo, CA is roughly 199% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Camarillo, CA is 168% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Camarillo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.44 $25.44
$10.76 MX$199
136.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 $65.8
$43.03 MX$795
52.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.00 $10.00
$11.79 MX$218
-15.18%
Cappuccino
$5.63 $5.63
$3.87 MX$71.4
45.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 $2.80
$1.37 MX$25.29
104.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 $1.95
$0.84 MX$15.44
132.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.12 $7.12
$3.10 MX$57.3
129.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.65 $9.65
$5.07 MX$93.6
90.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Camarillo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 $1.20
$1.44 MX$26.55
-16.67%
White Bread (500g)
$5.61 $5.61
$2.23 MX$41.23
151.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.44 $4.44
$1.47 MX$27.17
202.04%
Eggs
$4.91 $4.91
$2.53 MX$46.71
94.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.26 $12.26
$7.30 MX$135
67.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$20.76 $20.76
$7.86 MX$145
164.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.08 $14.08
$12.79 MX$236
10.09%
Apples (1kg)
$5.58 $5.58
$2.90 MX$53.6
92.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.44 MX$26.53
18.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.33 $4.33
$2.55 MX$47.07
69.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.35 $6.35
$2.06 MX$38.03
208.25%
Potato (1kg)
$3.50 $3.50
$2.00 MX$36.97
75.00%
Onion (1kg)
$3.61 $3.61
$2.01 MX$37.07
79.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.29 $2.29
$1.19 MX$22.02
92.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 $2.27
$1.26 MX$23.23
80.16%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.50 $11.50
$4.40 MX$81.4
161.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.95 $14.95
$9.59 MX$177
55.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 $1.75
$1.59 MX$29.41
10.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 $3.20
$2.81 MX$51.9
13.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Camarillo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.57 MX$10.47
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.82 MX$514
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.41 $4.41
$4.98 MX$92.1
-11.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.91 $1.91
$3.50 MX$64.6
-45.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.38 $35.38
$5.40 MX$99.8
555.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 $1.40
$1.47 MX$27.08
-4.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.3K $36.3K
$21.0K MX$387.8K
73.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.4K $24.4K
$23.9K MX$441.8K
1.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Camarillo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$214 $214
$84.2 MX$1,556
153.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$72.3 $72.3
$23.99 MX$443
201.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.1 $71.1
$29.02 MX$536
144.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Camarillo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.53 $39.53
$63.0 MX$1,164
-37.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$29.14 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.17 $12.17
$4.94 MX$91.3
146.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Camarillo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,933 $1,933
$204 MX$3,763
849.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$42.2K $42.2K
$3,941 MX$72.8K
971.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Camarillo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$74.1 $74.1
$43.60 MX$806
69.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.66 $19.66
$43.12 MX$797
-54.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.0 $81.0
$75.8 MX$1,400
6.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$170 $170
$88.6 MX$1,637
91.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Camarillo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,229 $2,229
$1,008 MX$18.6K
121.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,175 $2,175
$374 MX$6,911
481.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,282 $4,282
$1,708 MX$31.6K
150.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,833 $3,833
$1,106 MX$20.4K
246.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,465 $6,465
$3,944 MX$72.9K
63.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Camarillo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,776 $5,776
$754 MX$13.9K
665.83%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.64
11.45
-42.01%

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

Last update for Camarillo, CA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Camarillo, CA
$2.2K
Playa del Carmen
$374 82.8% $1.8K
Groceries & Markets
Camarillo, CA
$475
Playa del Carmen
$258 45.6% $216
Eating Out
Camarillo, CA
$375
Playa del Carmen
$202 46.1% $173
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Camarillo, CA
$357
Playa del Carmen
$137 61.6% $220
Clothing & Footwear
Camarillo, CA
$155
Playa del Carmen
$113 27.1% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Camarillo, CA
$64
Playa del Carmen
$73 14.1% $9
Getting Around
Camarillo, CA
$14 *
Playa del Carmen
$53 276% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,229 in Camarillo, CA and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Camarillo, CA pays 666% 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: $66.0 in Camarillo, CA vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $475 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Camarillo, CA
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
11:39 11:39 AM
13:39 1:39 PM
2 h ahead of Camarillo, CA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
62,489
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Camarillo, CA Playa del Carmen 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Camarillo, 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
Camarillo, CA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Camarillo, CA?
Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 199% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Camarillo, CA or Playa del Carmen?
Average pay runs 666% higher in Camarillo, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Camarillo, CA and Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,229 in Camarillo, CA versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Camarillo, CA and in Playa del Carmen?
Supermarket bills run roughly 84% higher in Camarillo, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Camarillo, CA and in Playa del Carmen?
All in, you'll spend $3,615 per month in Camarillo, CA versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 199% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Camarillo, CA or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,615 in Camarillo, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Camarillo, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Camarillo, CA or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Camarillo, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Camarillo, CA or Playa del Carmen?
Safety-wise, Camarillo, CA 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 199% less than in Camarillo, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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