Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,314 in Charleston, SC, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Charleston, SC
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Charleston, SC Living Index
59

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

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Charleston, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$3,314

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,314 per month in Charleston, SC vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Charleston, SC $3,314
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $4,834 per month in Charleston, SC vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Charleston, SC $4,834
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $6,355 per month in Charleston, SC vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Charleston, SC $6,355
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Charleston, SC costs about 174% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Charleston, SC sits 145% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.88 $19.88

$10.76 MX$199

84.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$131 $131

$43.03 MX$795

203.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.91 $11.91

$11.79 MX$218

1.02%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$3.87 MX$71.4

52.45%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$1.37 MX$25.29

112.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.84 MX$15.44

182.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 $6.68

$3.10 MX$57.3

115.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$5.07 MX$93.6

55.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.44 MX$26.55

-20.14%

White Bread (500g)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.23 MX$41.23

85.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$1.47 MX$27.17

210.88%

Eggs

$5.25 $5.25

$2.53 MX$46.71

107.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.51 $22.51

$7.30 MX$135

208.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.38 $14.38

$7.86 MX$145

82.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.97 $20.97

$12.79 MX$236

63.96%

Apples (1kg)

$7.97 $7.97

$2.90 MX$53.6

174.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.44 MX$26.53

29.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.55 MX$47.07

95.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$2.06 MX$38.03

244.17%

Potato (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$2.00 MX$36.97

154.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.01 MX$37.07

81.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.19 MX$22.02

139.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.26 MX$23.23

161.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.84 $9.84

$4.40 MX$81.4

123.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.33 $20.33

$9.59 MX$177

111.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.59 MX$29.41

72.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.81 MX$51.9

8.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.57 MX$10.47

249.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.8 $57.8

$27.82 MX$514

107.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$4.98 MX$92.1

-38.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$3.50 MX$64.6

-64.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.67 $31.67

$5.40 MX$99.8

486.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.47 MX$27.08

-34.69%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

70.23%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

7.97%

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

$233 $233

$84.2 MX$1,556

176.81%

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

$78.3 $78.3

$23.99 MX$443

226.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.8 $85.8

$29.02 MX$536

195.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.77 $45.77

$63.0 MX$1,164

-27.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 $19.74

$29.14 MX$539

-32.26%

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$4.94 MX$91.3

186.23%

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

$1,274 $1,274

$204 MX$3,763

525.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K $27.2K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

590.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.9 $78.9

$43.60 MX$806

81.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.52 $45.52

$43.12 MX$797

5.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$75.8 MX$1,400

50.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$88.6 MX$1,637

53.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,353 $2,353

$1,008 MX$18.6K

133.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,728 $1,728

$374 MX$6,911

362.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,610 $3,610

$1,708 MX$31.6K

111.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,630 $2,630

$1,106 MX$20.4K

137.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,673 $5,673

$3,944 MX$72.9K

43.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,048 $3,048

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-50.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,858 $4,858

$754 MX$13.9K

544.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.45

-43.14%

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

Last update for Charleston, SC: 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

Charleston, SC

$1.7K 52.2%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 78.4% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Charleston, SC

$535 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 51.7% $276

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Charleston, SC

$397 12%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 65.5% $260

Eating Out

Charleston, SC

$336 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 39.8% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Charleston, SC

$169 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 33% $56

Getting Around

Charleston, SC

$75 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 29.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Charleston, SC

$74 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 1.6% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,353 in Charleston, SC versus $1,008 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.

Salaries run about 544% higher in Charleston, SC, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $131 in Charleston, SC versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $535 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Charleston, SC

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

07:35 7:35 AM

1 h behind Charleston, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,227

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 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).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Charleston, SC Playa del Carmen 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Charleston, SC
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

Charleston, SC vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Charleston, SC costs about 174% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,970 per month in Charleston, SC and $1,816 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,274 per month in Charleston, SC and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 107% more in Charleston, SC, 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 $1,210, than in Charleston, SC at $3,314. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Charleston, SC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $3,314 in Charleston, SC. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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