Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,037 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $22,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Chicago, IL
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Chicago, IL Living Index
58

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

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Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,037

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,037 per month in Chicago, IL vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chicago, IL $3,037
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,518 per month in Chicago, IL vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chicago, IL $4,518
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,999 per month in Chicago, IL vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chicago, IL $5,999
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Chicago, IL costs about 152% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chicago, IL sits 123% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.71 $20.71

$10.92 MX$204

89.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 $89.2

$43.37 MX$810

105.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.19 $13.19

$11.78 MX$220

11.97%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$3.81 MX$71.2

48.56%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$1.28 MX$23.96

106.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.78 MX$14.63

192.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 $6.87

$3.17 MX$59.2

116.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.84 $8.84

$4.93 MX$92.2

79.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.41 MX$26.28

-11.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.22 MX$41.43

67.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$1.42 MX$26.48

279.58%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$2.52 MX$47.14

88.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 $13.84

$7.26 MX$136

90.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.40 $14.40

$7.70 MX$144

87.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 $18.38

$12.69 MX$237

44.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$2.78 MX$52.0

87.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.37 MX$25.56

44.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.55 MX$47.66

59.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.12 MX$39.67

134.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.94 MX$36.22

37.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.89 MX$35.24

40.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.15 MX$21.42

94.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.18 MX$22.03

165.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 $13.82

$4.30 MX$80.3

221.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$9.95 MX$186

49.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.58 MX$29.59

60.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.67 MX$49.91

31.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.55 MX$10.34

341.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.5 $73.5

$26.62 MX$497

176.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 $3.18

$4.97 MX$92.9

-36.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$3.33 MX$62.2

-58.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.03 $25.03

$5.36 MX$100

366.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.44 MX$26.98

-16.67%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

69.55%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

13.68%

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

$194 $194

$84.8 MX$1,584

129.30%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$23.41 MX$437

196.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 $61.6

$28.66 MX$535

115.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.90 $47.90

$57.1 MX$1,066

-16.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.34 $27.34

$28.91 MX$540

-5.43%

Cinema Ticket

$17.81 $17.81

$5.14 MX$96.0

246.50%

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

$1,794 $1,794

$207 MX$3,860

768.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K $31.9K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

713.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 $67.0

$43.35 MX$810

54.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$41.44 MX$774

25.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$74.2 MX$1,386

36.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$89.3 MX$1,668

61.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 $2,526

$980 MX$18.3K

157.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 $1,578

$381 MX$7,116

314.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,738 $4,738

$1,708 MX$31.9K

177.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,693 $2,693

$1,075 MX$20.1K

150.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,190 $4,190

$3,943 MX$73.7K

6.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,768 $2,768

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-55.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,931 $4,931

$735 MX$13.7K

571.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

11.45

-40.52%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Chicago, IL

$1.6K 52%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 75.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Chicago, IL

$447 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 43.1% $193

Eating Out

Chicago, IL

$345 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 41.3% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chicago, IL

$326 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 58% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Chicago, IL

$164 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 31.9% $52

Getting Around

Chicago, IL

$93 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 46% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Chicago, IL

$84 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 19.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,526 in Chicago, IL versus $980 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 in Chicago, IL are about 6.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Chicago, IL versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $447 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

Same time as Chicago, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,746,388

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Chicago, IL Playa del Carmen 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chicago, IL
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

Chicago, IL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,037 in Chicago, IL, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 152% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,555 per month in Chicago, IL 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $2,526 in Chicago, IL.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Chicago, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Chicago, IL and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Chicago, IL at $3,037. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chicago, IL 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 $3,037 in Chicago, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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