Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between College Station, TX and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,165 in College Station, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in College Station, TX
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College Station, TX Living Index
58

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

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College Station, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,165

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,165 in College Station, TX versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

College Station, TX $2,165
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,186 in College Station, TX versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

College Station, TX $3,186
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,206 in College Station, TX versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

College Station, TX $4,206
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in College Station, TX is roughly 80% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: College Station, TX is 59% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.78 $14.78

$10.92 MX$205

35.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 $78.5

$43.37 MX$815

81.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 $11.92

$11.78 MX$221

1.19%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$3.81 MX$71.6

47.24%

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

$2.81 $2.81

$1.28 MX$24.10

119.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.78 MX$14.71

130.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 $4.88

$3.17 MX$59.5

53.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 $7.72

$4.93 MX$92.7

56.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.41 MX$26.43

-41.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.22 MX$41.66

49.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.42 MX$26.64

167.61%

Eggs

$2.90 $2.90

$2.52 MX$47.41

15.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.18 $12.18

$7.26 MX$137

67.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.34 $9.34

$7.70 MX$145

21.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.01 $13.01

$12.69 MX$239

2.52%

Apples (1kg)

$6.32 $6.32

$2.78 MX$52.3

127.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.37 MX$25.71

13.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$2.55 MX$47.94

153.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.12 MX$39.90

125.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$1.94 MX$36.43

105.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.89 MX$35.44

57.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.15 MX$21.55

59.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.18 MX$22.16

57.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.96 $9.96

$4.30 MX$80.7

131.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 $14.17

$9.95 MX$187

42.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.58 MX$29.76

12.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.67 MX$50.2

46.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.55 MX$10.40

87.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.74 $45.74

$26.62 MX$500

71.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.98 $9.98

$4.97 MX$93.4

100.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$3.33 MX$62.6

-45.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.9 $58.9

$5.36 MX$101

998.69%

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)

$26.7K $26.7K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

29.07%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

9.63%

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

$179 $179

$84.8 MX$1,594

110.66%

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

$39.26 $39.26

$23.41 MX$440

67.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 $55.7

$28.66 MX$539

94.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.49 $24.49

$57.1 MX$1,072

-57.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.46 $17.46

$28.91 MX$543

-39.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 $10.97

$5.14 MX$96.6

113.42%

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

$740 $740

$207 MX$3,882

258.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K $17.9K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

355.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 $59.9

$43.35 MX$815

38.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.65 $38.65

$41.44 MX$779

-6.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 $84.9

$74.2 MX$1,394

14.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$89.3 MX$1,677

35.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 $1,267

$980 MX$18.4K

29.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 $986

$381 MX$7,157

158.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,848 $1,848

$1,708 MX$32.1K

8.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,531 $1,531

$1,075 MX$20.2K

42.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,392 $2,392

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-39.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,994 $1,994

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-67.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,377 $4,377

$735 MX$13.8K

495.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.45

-42.62%

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

Last update for College Station, TX: 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

College Station, TX

$986 45.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 61.4% $605

Groceries & Markets

College Station, TX

$374 17.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 31.8% $119

Eating Out

College Station, TX

$280 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 27.6% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

College Station, TX

$274 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 50% $137

Clothing & Footwear

College Station, TX

$137 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 18.5% $25

Getting Around

College Station, TX

$69 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 26.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

College Station, TX

$46 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 45% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,267 in College Station, TX and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

College Station, TX pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in College Station, TX vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $374 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 College Station, TX

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

22:27 10:27 PM

1 h ahead of College Station, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,511

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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Between locations

College Station, TX Playa del Carmen 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

College Station, TX
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

College Station, TX vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in College Station, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in College Station, TX is about 6 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: $1,267 in College Station, TX versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 42% less than in College Station, TX. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $740 in College Station, TX versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,165 in College Station, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in College Station, TX. 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 44% less than in College Station, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.