Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleston, SC and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleston, SC and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Charleston, SC is 38.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 133.9% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Charleston, SC is 83.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 80.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Charleston, SC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.95 $17.95
$11.99 MX$227
49.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.7 $79.7
$42.47 MX$803
87.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.9 $9.9
$10.47 MX$198
-5.44%
Cappuccino
$5.04 $5.04
$3.6 MX$68.2
40.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 $2.42
$1.44 MX$27.16
68.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 $1.95
$0.89 MX$16.79
119.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.9 $5.9
$3.09 MX$58.5
90.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 $7.94
$4.58 MX$86.6
73.36%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Charleston, SC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1 $1
$1.38 MX$26.04
-27.54%
White Bread (500g)
$3.75 $3.75
$1.85 MX$34.9
102.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.22 $3.22
$1.57 MX$29.68
105.10%
Eggs
$4.45 $4.45
$2.55 MX$48.3
74.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.9 $13.9
$8.61 MX$163
61.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.05 $15.05
$8.54 MX$161
76.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.03 $17.03
$10.98 MX$208
55.10%
Apples (1kg)
$5.79 $5.79
$2.72 MX$51.4
112.87%
Banana (1kg)
$1.66 $1.66
$1.51 MX$28.57
9.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.68 $6.68
$1.88 MX$35.63
255.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.02 $4.02
$2.19 MX$41.42
83.56%
Potato (1kg)
$3.67 $3.67
$1.87 MX$35.3
96.26%
Onion (1kg)
$2.76 $2.76
$2.19 MX$41.37
26.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.78 $1.78
$1.07 MX$20.23
66.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.87 $1.87
$1.09 MX$20.64
71.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.62 $7.62
$3.96 MX$74.9
92.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.74 $17.74
$8.86 MX$167
100.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 $1.78
$1.72 MX$32.53
3.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 $3.32
$2.61 MX$49.37
27.20%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Charleston, SC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.96 $1.96
$0.52 MX$9.74
276.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$57.3 $57.3
$26.59 MX$503
115.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 $2.91
$3.24 MX$61.2
-10.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 $1.53
$2.38 MX$44.94
-35.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.37 $20.37
$3.11 MX$58.7
554.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.84 $0.84
$1.31 MX$24.85
-35.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K $32.7K
$30.3K MX$573K
7.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.6K $24.6K
$24K MX$453.6K
2.43%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Charleston, SC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$141 $141
$84.2 MX$1,592
66.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$54.8 $54.8
$22.14 MX$419
147.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$73.4 $73.4
$30.14 MX$570
143.53%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Charleston, SC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.53 $29.53
$52 MX$983
-43.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.1 $18.1
$18.72 MX$354
-3.31%
Cinema Ticket
$13.29 $13.29
$5.07 MX$95.9
162.13%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Charleston, SC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,313 $1,313
$200 MX$3,787
555.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.2K $24.2K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
354.45%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Charleston, SC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.68 $49.68
$35.74 MX$676
39.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.64 $36.64
$39.8 MX$753
-7.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.6 $94.6
$79 MX$1,493
19.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$153 $153
$88.4 MX$1,671
73.49%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Charleston, SC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,577 $2,577
$965 MX$18.3K
166.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,687 $1,687
$474 MX$8,968
255.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,414 $4,414
$1,653 MX$31.2K
167.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,638 $2,638
$1,202 MX$22.7K
119.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,656 $4,656
$3,081 MX$58.3K
51.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,200 $3,200
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-57.50%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Charleston, SC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,603 $4,603
$792 MX$15K
481.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.51
11.42
-42.99%

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

Last update for Charleston, SC: October 27, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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