Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Clearwater, FL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,966 in Clearwater, FL, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in Clearwater, FL
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Clearwater, FL Living Index
58

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

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Clearwater, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,966

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,966 in Clearwater, FL versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Clearwater, FL $2,966
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,418 in Clearwater, FL versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Clearwater, FL $4,418
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,870 in Clearwater, FL versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Clearwater, FL $5,870
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Clearwater, FL is roughly 146% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Clearwater, FL is 118% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.13 $17.13

$10.92 MX$205

56.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.5 $68.5

$43.37 MX$815

57.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.70 $11.70

$11.78 MX$221

-0.68%

Cappuccino

$4.94 $4.94

$3.81 MX$71.6

29.66%

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

$2.27 $2.27

$1.28 MX$24.10

77.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.78 MX$14.71

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 $5.48

$3.17 MX$59.5

72.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 $8.07

$4.93 MX$92.7

63.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.41 MX$26.43

-30.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.22 MX$41.66

68.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$1.42 MX$26.64

211.27%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$2.52 MX$47.41

59.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 $10.81

$7.26 MX$137

48.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.43 $14.43

$7.70 MX$145

87.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.67 $19.67

$12.69 MX$239

55.00%

Apples (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$2.78 MX$52.3

133.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.37 MX$25.71

7.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$2.55 MX$47.94

138.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$2.12 MX$39.90

190.57%

Potato (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$1.94 MX$36.43

140.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.89 MX$35.44

105.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.15 MX$21.55

124.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.18 MX$22.16

127.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.10 $9.10

$4.30 MX$80.7

111.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.81 $16.81

$9.95 MX$187

68.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.58 MX$29.76

14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 $4.63

$2.67 MX$50.2

73.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 $2.94

$0.55 MX$10.40

434.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.7 $80.7

$26.62 MX$500

203.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 $3.31

$4.97 MX$93.4

-33.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 $0.66

$3.33 MX$62.6

-80.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.2 $61.2

$5.36 MX$101

1041.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.44 MX$27.14

-32.64%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

34.34%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

11.07%

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

$249 $249

$84.8 MX$1,594

193.99%

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

$55.4 $55.4

$23.41 MX$440

136.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.7 $75.7

$28.66 MX$539

163.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.23 $37.23

$57.1 MX$1,072

-34.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.09 $25.09

$28.91 MX$543

-13.21%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 $16.03

$5.14 MX$96.6

211.87%

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

$1,252 $1,252

$207 MX$3,882

506.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K $25.4K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

547.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.3 $75.3

$43.35 MX$815

73.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 $54.4

$41.44 MX$779

31.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$74.2 MX$1,394

45.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$89.3 MX$1,677

57.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,973 $1,973

$980 MX$18.4K

101.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 $1,499

$381 MX$7,157

293.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,204 $3,204

$1,708 MX$32.1K

87.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,708 $2,708

$1,075 MX$20.2K

151.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,115 $3,115

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-21.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,528 $2,528

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-58.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,695 $3,695

$735 MX$13.8K

403.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

11.45

-42.45%

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

Last update for Clearwater, FL: October 24, 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

Clearwater, FL

$1.5K 50.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 74.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Clearwater, FL

$457 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 44.3% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Clearwater, FL

$380 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 64% $244

Eating Out

Clearwater, FL

$291 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 30.5% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Clearwater, FL

$170 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 34.3% $58

Getting Around

Clearwater, FL

$99 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 49.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Clearwater, FL

$69 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 2.8% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,973 in Clearwater, FL and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Clearwater, FL pays about 5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Clearwater, FL vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Clearwater, FL

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:25 10:25 PM

Same time as Clearwater, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,742

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Clearwater, FL Playa del Carmen 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Clearwater, FL
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

Clearwater, FL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Clearwater, FL is about 5 times higher, 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: $1,973 in Clearwater, FL versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,966 per month in Clearwater, FL versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 67% less than in Clearwater, FL. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,966 in Clearwater, FL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Clearwater, FL. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Clearwater, FL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.