Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlsbad, NM and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlsbad, NM and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Carlsbad, NM is 18.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 93.5% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Carlsbad, NM is 15.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 52% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Carlsbad, NM
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.08 $19.08
$11.85 MX$212
61.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.76 $49.76
$42.16 MX$755
18.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.98 $11.98
$10.75 MX$192
11.44%
Cappuccino
$6.43 $6.43
$3.47 MX$62.2
85.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 $1.98
$1.45 MX$26.01
36.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 $1.26
$0.90 MX$16.16
40.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.87 $4.87
$3.05 MX$54.7
59.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.86 $5.86
$4.42 MX$79.1
32.58%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Carlsbad, NM
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.86 $0.86
$1.37 MX$24.51
-37.23%
White Bread (500g)
$2.43 $2.43
$1.87 MX$33.51
29.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 $1.94
$1.54 MX$27.63
25.97%
Eggs
$3.73 $3.73
$2.50 MX$44.81
49.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.09 $8.09
$8.61 MX$154
-6.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.97 $9.97
$8.63 MX$155
15.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.06 $12.06
$11.02 MX$197
9.44%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 $3.05
$2.75 MX$49.22
10.91%
Banana (1kg)
$1.06 $1.06
$1.43 MX$25.56
-25.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.11 $4.11
$1.87 MX$33.52
119.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 $2.56
$2.17 MX$38.80
17.97%
Potato (1kg)
$2.53 $2.53
$1.88 MX$33.70
34.57%
Onion (1kg)
$1.86 $1.86
$2.25 MX$40.21
-17.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 $2.27
$1.07 MX$19.11
112.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.53 $1.53
$1.07 MX$19.22
42.99%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.03 $12.03
$4.15 MX$74.4
189.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.01 $8.01
$10.34 MX$185
-22.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.06 $2.06
$1.68 MX$30.06
22.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.78 $4.78
$2.48 MX$44.46
92.74%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Carlsbad, NM
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.97 $1.97
$0.55 MX$9.93
258.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.53 MX$475
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.69 $1.69
$3.22 MX$57.6
-47.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.60 $1.60
$2.48 MX$44.42
-35.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.02 $27.02
$3.11 MX$55.7
768.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.77 $0.77
$1.26 MX$22.48
-38.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.4K $19.4K
$30.7K MX$548.8K
-36.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K $25.2K
$24.0K MX$430.3K
4.89%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Carlsbad, NM
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$163 $163
$82.5 MX$1,476
97.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$64.8 $64.8
$22.29 MX$399
190.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$64.1 $64.1
$30.02 MX$537
113.49%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Carlsbad, NM
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.66 $42.66
$51.4 MX$921
-17.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.29 MX$327
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.72 $11.72
$4.98 MX$89.2
135.34%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Carlsbad, NM
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$576 $576
$200 MX$3,580
187.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,946 $6,946
$5,304 MX$94.9K
30.96%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Carlsbad, NM
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.92 $39.92
$35.71 MX$639
11.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.98 $43.98
$39.56 MX$708
11.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.6 $95.6
$80.6 MX$1,442
18.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.1 $79.1
$88.3 MX$1,581
-10.41%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Carlsbad, NM
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,576 $1,576
$969 MX$17.4K
62.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,346 $1,346
$482 MX$8,632
179.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,613 $2,613
$1,595 MX$28.6K
63.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,265 $2,265
$1,184 MX$21.2K
91.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,880 $1,880
$4,050 MX$72.5K
-53.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,899 $1,899
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-70.89%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Carlsbad, NM
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,255 $4,255
$756 MX$13.5K
462.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.25
11.42
-71.54%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Carlsbad, NM: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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