Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,092 in Cerritos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

151

Cost of Living Index in Cerritos, CA
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Cerritos, CA Living Index
59

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

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Cerritos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,092

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,092 per month in Cerritos, CA vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cerritos, CA $3,092
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,252 per month in Cerritos, CA vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cerritos, CA $3,252
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,413 per month in Cerritos, CA vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cerritos, CA $3,413
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Cerritos, CA costs about 157% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cerritos, CA sits 128% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.09 $25.09

$10.86 MX$201

131.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$44.21 MX$817

130.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.89 $15.89

$11.76 MX$217

35.12%

Cappuccino

$5.58 $5.58

$3.68 MX$68.0

51.63%

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

$3.20 $3.20

$1.34 MX$24.79

138.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$0.82 MX$15.24

240.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.91 $7.91

$3.06 MX$56.6

158.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.82 $9.82

$4.94 MX$91.2

98.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.47 MX$27.17

-12.93%

White Bread (500g)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.22 MX$40.95

121.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.48 MX$27.32

213.51%

Eggs

$5.61 $5.61

$2.49 MX$45.99

125.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.68 $11.68

$7.52 MX$139

55.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.73 $8.73

$7.96 MX$147

9.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 $19.88

$12.57 MX$232

58.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.78 MX$51.3

73.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.43 MX$26.37

68.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.62 MX$48.37

64.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$2.14 MX$39.49

167.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.02 MX$37.38

65.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.99 MX$36.74

39.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.14 MX$21.01

73.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.20 MX$22.18

107.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.95 $11.95

$4.26 MX$78.7

180.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.84 $14.84

$10.02 MX$185

48.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.54 MX$28.41

58.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.66 MX$49.17

4.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 $3.11

$4.90 MX$90.6

-36.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 $1.80

$3.43 MX$63.5

-47.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.88 $31.88

$5.38 MX$99.4

492.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.45 MX$26.76

6.90%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

34.90%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

16.90%

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

$215 $215

$85.4 MX$1,577

151.35%

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

$76.8 $76.8

$23.46 MX$434

227.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.1 $81.1

$28.43 MX$525

185.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$62.2 MX$1,149

92.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$19.89 $19.89

$5.10 MX$94.3

290.00%

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

$1,179 $1,179

$201 MX$3,715

486.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.1K $32.1K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

714.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 $62.8

$44.39 MX$820

41.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.61 $47.61

$41.35 MX$764

15.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$72.7 MX$1,344

57.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$89.6 MX$1,656

14.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 $1,989

$979 MX$18.1K

103.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 $1,576

$373 MX$6,887

322.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,540 $3,540

$1,681 MX$31.1K

110.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

11.45

-44.89%

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

Last update for Cerritos, CA: 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

Cerritos, CA

$1.6K 51%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 76.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Cerritos, CA

$427 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 39.4% $168

Eating Out

Cerritos, CA

$399 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 49.8% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cerritos, CA

$372 12%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 63.2% $235

Sport & Entertainment

Cerritos, CA

$160 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 54.7% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Cerritos, CA

$147 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 24.2% $36

Getting Around

Cerritos, CA

$12 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 328% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,989 in Cerritos, CA versus $979 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 $102 in Cerritos, CA versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $427 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cerritos, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

16:53 4:53 PM

2 h ahead of Cerritos, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,041

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Cerritos, CA Playa del Carmen 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cerritos, 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

Cerritos, CA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,092 in Cerritos, CA, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 157% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,638 per month in Cerritos, CA and $1,806 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Cerritos, CA and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 65% more in Cerritos, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Cerritos, CA at $3,092. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cerritos, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $3,092 in Cerritos, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cerritos, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.