Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, SC and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,193 in Columbia, SC, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, SC
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Columbia, SC Living Index
58

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

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Columbia, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,193

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,193 in Columbia, SC versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Columbia, SC $2,193
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Columbia, SC versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Columbia, SC $3,366
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,538 in Columbia, SC versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Columbia, SC $4,538
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Columbia, SC is roughly 82% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Columbia, SC is 61% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 $19.80

$10.92 MX$204

81.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 $61.1

$43.37 MX$808

40.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$11.78 MX$220

1.61%

Cappuccino

$5.42 $5.42

$3.81 MX$71.0

42.26%

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

$2.80 $2.80

$1.28 MX$23.90

118.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.78 MX$14.59

179.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 $5.43

$3.17 MX$59.0

71.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 $6.39

$4.93 MX$92.0

29.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.41 MX$26.22

-40.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.22 MX$41.33

13.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.42 MX$26.42

218.31%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$2.52 MX$47.03

59.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 $10.49

$7.26 MX$135

44.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.14 $11.14

$7.70 MX$143

44.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.89 $15.89

$12.69 MX$237

25.22%

Apples (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$2.78 MX$51.9

89.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.37 MX$25.50

18.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.45 $6.45

$2.55 MX$47.55

152.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.12 MX$39.58

191.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.94 MX$36.13

59.79%

Onion (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.89 MX$35.16

130.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.15 MX$21.37

74.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.18 MX$21.98

51.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.40 $8.40

$4.30 MX$80.1

95.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.62 $15.62

$9.95 MX$185

56.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.58 MX$29.52

15.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.67 MX$49.79

0.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.55 MX$10.31

260.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.15 $40.15

$26.62 MX$496

50.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 $1.98

$4.97 MX$92.6

-60.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$3.33 MX$62.1

-52.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.89 $17.89

$5.36 MX$99.8

233.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.44 MX$26.92

-36.81%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

29.75%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

7.41%

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

$277 $277

$84.8 MX$1,581

227.00%

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

$60.2 $60.2

$23.41 MX$436

157.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 $63.8

$28.66 MX$534

122.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.47 $34.47

$57.1 MX$1,063

-39.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 $18.22

$28.91 MX$539

-36.98%

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 $15.22

$5.14 MX$95.8

196.11%

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

$1,117 $1,117

$207 MX$3,851

440.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K $22.9K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

482.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 $52.3

$43.35 MX$808

20.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 $39.57

$41.44 MX$772

-4.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 $82.2

$74.2 MX$1,383

10.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$89.3 MX$1,664

27.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 $1,430

$980 MX$18.3K

46.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 $832

$381 MX$7,099

118.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,198 $3,198

$1,708 MX$31.8K

87.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,672 $1,672

$1,075 MX$20.0K

55.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,313 $2,313

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-41.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,668 $1,668

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-72.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,240 $3,240

$735 MX$13.7K

341.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

11.45

-42.71%

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

Last update for Columbia, SC: October 26, 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

Columbia, SC

$832 37.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 54.2% $451

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, SC

$401 18.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 65.9% $264

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, SC

$389 17.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 34.5% $134

Eating Out

Columbia, SC

$319 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 36.6% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, SC

$130 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 13.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, SC

$65 3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 3.7% $2.4

Getting Around

Columbia, SC

$58 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 13% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,430 in Columbia, SC and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbia, SC pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Columbia, SC vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, SC

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:57 12:57 PM

11:57 11:57 AM

1 h behind Columbia, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,698

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Columbia, SC Playa del Carmen 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Columbia, SC
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

Columbia, SC vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 82% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Columbia, SC is about 4.4 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: $1,430 in Columbia, SC versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Columbia, SC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $61 in Columbia, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,193 in Columbia, SC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Columbia, SC. 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 Columbia, SC, 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 45% less than in Columbia, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.