Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,515 in Chico, CA, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Chico, CA
Learn more

Chico, CA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Chico, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,515

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,515 in Chico, CA versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Chico, CA $2,515
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,036 in Chico, CA versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Chico, CA $4,036
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,556 in Chico, CA versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Chico, CA $5,556
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Chico, CA is roughly 108% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chico, CA is 86% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.46 $25.46

$10.76 MX$199

136.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 $50.1

$43.03 MX$795

16.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.05 $12.05

$11.79 MX$218

2.21%

Cappuccino

$5.77 $5.77

$3.87 MX$71.4

49.10%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.37 MX$25.29

91.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.84 MX$15.44

170.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.34 $7.34

$3.10 MX$57.3

136.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 $8.22

$5.07 MX$93.6

62.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.44 MX$26.55

-21.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.23 MX$41.23

34.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.47 MX$27.17

138.78%

Eggs

$4.86 $4.86

$2.53 MX$46.71

92.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$7.30 MX$135

52.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.12 $12.12

$7.86 MX$145

54.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.12 $23.12

$12.79 MX$236

80.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$2.90 MX$53.6

87.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.44 MX$26.53

63.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$2.55 MX$47.07

49.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.64 $5.64

$2.06 MX$38.03

173.79%

Potato (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.00 MX$36.97

150.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.01 MX$37.07

54.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.19 MX$22.02

106.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.26 MX$23.23

103.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.01 $8.01

$4.40 MX$81.4

82.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.92 $14.92

$9.59 MX$177

55.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.59 MX$29.41

10.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.81 MX$51.9

28.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 $2.94

$0.57 MX$10.47

415.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.74 $34.74

$27.82 MX$514

24.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 $3.22

$4.98 MX$92.1

-35.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.50 MX$64.6

-31.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.65 $40.65

$5.40 MX$99.8

652.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.47 MX$27.08

-3.40%

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

$36.3K $36.3K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

72.98%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

3.44%

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

$185 $185

$84.2 MX$1,556

119.42%

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

$49.40 $49.40

$23.99 MX$443

105.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.9 $67.9

$29.02 MX$536

133.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.0 $77.0

$63.0 MX$1,164

22.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$13.12 $13.12

$4.94 MX$91.3

165.59%

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

$1,837 $1,837

$204 MX$3,763

802.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.1K $37.1K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

840.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 $51.1

$43.60 MX$806

17.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.08 $31.08

$43.12 MX$797

-27.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 $70.3

$75.8 MX$1,400

-7.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 $98.8

$88.6 MX$1,637

11.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 $1,508

$1,008 MX$18.6K

49.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 $1,123

$374 MX$6,911

200.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,933 $2,933

$1,708 MX$31.6K

71.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,590 $2,590

$1,106 MX$20.4K

134.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,210 $3,210

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-18.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,919 $2,919

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-52.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,832 $3,832

$754 MX$13.9K

408.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.28

11.45

-45.15%

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

Last update for Chico, CA: 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

Chico, CA

$1.1K 44.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 66.7% $749

Groceries & Markets

Chico, CA

$430 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 39.9% $172

Eating Out

Chico, CA

$382 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 47% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chico, CA

$302 12%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 54.6% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Chico, CA

$113 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Chico, CA

$103 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 29.4% $30

Getting Around

Chico, CA

$62 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 14.9% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,508 in Chico, CA and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chico, CA pays 408% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Chico, CA vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $430 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chico, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:39 1:39 AM

03:39 3:39 AM

2 h ahead of Chico, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,316

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chico, CA Playa del Carmen 3,920 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chico, 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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 108% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 408% higher in Chico, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,508 in Chico, CA versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $50.0 in Chico, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,515 per month in Chico, CA versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 108% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,515 in Chico, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Chico, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Chico, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 108% less than in Chico, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.