Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chevy Chase, MD and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,535 in Chevy Chase, MD, rent and utilities included – about $27,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

174

Cost of Living Index in Chevy Chase, MD
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Chevy Chase, MD Living Index
59

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

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Chevy Chase, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,535

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,535 per month in Chevy Chase, MD vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chevy Chase, MD $3,535
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $4,617 per month in Chevy Chase, MD vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chevy Chase, MD $4,617
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $5,699 per month in Chevy Chase, MD vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chevy Chase, MD $5,699
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Chevy Chase, MD costs about 192% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chevy Chase, MD sits 162% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.84 $23.84

$10.76 MX$199

121.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$43.03 MX$795

133.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 $10.88

$11.79 MX$218

-7.72%

Cappuccino

$5.70 $5.70

$3.87 MX$71.4

47.29%

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

$2.99 $2.99

$1.37 MX$25.29

118.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.84 MX$15.44

190.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 $7.90

$3.10 MX$57.3

154.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.10 $9.10

$5.07 MX$93.6

79.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.44 MX$26.55

-15.28%

White Bread (500g)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.23 MX$41.23

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$1.47 MX$27.17

271.43%

Eggs

$5.07 $5.07

$2.53 MX$46.71

100.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.40 $21.40

$7.30 MX$135

193.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.53 $15.53

$7.86 MX$145

97.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.24 $23.24

$12.79 MX$236

81.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.90 MX$53.6

91.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.44 MX$26.53

26.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.55 MX$47.07

80.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$2.06 MX$38.03

188.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.00 MX$36.97

60.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.01 MX$37.07

88.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.19 MX$22.02

96.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.26 MX$23.23

103.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.42 $10.42

$4.40 MX$81.4

136.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.09 $17.09

$9.59 MX$177

78.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.59 MX$29.41

79.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.81 MX$51.9

4.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.57 MX$10.47

280.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 $4.07

$4.98 MX$92.1

-18.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$3.50 MX$64.6

-63.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.05 $25.05

$5.40 MX$99.8

363.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.47 MX$27.08

-31.97%

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

$34.3K $34.3K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

63.25%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

6.26%

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

$163 $163

$84.2 MX$1,556

93.24%

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

$51.0 $51.0

$23.99 MX$443

112.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.5 $62.5

$29.02 MX$536

115.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.93 $37.93

$63.0 MX$1,164

-39.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$16.66 $16.66

$4.94 MX$91.3

237.25%

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

$1,586 $1,586

$204 MX$3,763

678.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K $20.0K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

408.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 $55.7

$43.60 MX$806

27.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 $63.1

$43.12 MX$797

46.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$75.8 MX$1,400

32.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 $166

$88.6 MX$1,637

87.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,555 $2,555

$1,008 MX$18.6K

153.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,114 $2,114

$374 MX$6,911

465.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,195 $4,195

$1,708 MX$31.6K

145.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,376 $2,376

$1,106 MX$20.4K

114.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,777 $2,777

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-29.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,399 $2,399

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-61.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.45

-40.70%

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

Last update for Chevy Chase, MD: 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

Chevy Chase, MD

$2.1K 59.8%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 82.3% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Chevy Chase, MD

$509 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 49.2% $251

Eating Out

Chevy Chase, MD

$371 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 45.5% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chevy Chase, MD

$276 7.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 50.3% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Chevy Chase, MD

$174 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 34.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Chevy Chase, MD

$71 2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 2.3% $1.6

Getting Around

Chevy Chase, MD

$19 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 175% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,555 in Chevy Chase, MD 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Chevy Chase, MD versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $509 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chevy Chase, MD

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

14:35 2:35 PM

1 h behind Chevy Chase, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,000

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Chevy Chase, MD Playa del Carmen 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chevy Chase, MD
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

Chevy Chase, MD vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chevy Chase, MD costs about 192% 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 $5,302 per month in Chevy Chase, MD 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,535 in Chevy Chase, MD and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 192%.

Kindergarten costs $1,586 per month in Chevy Chase, MD and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Chevy Chase, MD at $3,535. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chevy Chase, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $3,535 in Chevy Chase, MD. 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, Chevy Chase, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.