Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Concord, NC and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,932 in Concord, NC, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Concord, NC
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Concord, NC Living Index
59

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

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Concord, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$1,932

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,932 per month in Concord, NC vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Concord, NC $1,932
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,166 per month in Concord, NC vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Concord, NC $3,166
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,399 per month in Concord, NC vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Concord, NC $4,399
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Concord, NC costs about 60% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Concord, NC sits 43% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.83 $15.83

$10.86 MX$201

45.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.3 $89.3

$44.21 MX$817

102.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 $11.86

$11.76 MX$217

0.85%

Cappuccino

$6.95 $6.95

$3.68 MX$68.0

88.86%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$1.34 MX$24.79

119.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$0.82 MX$15.24

179.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.99 $7.99

$3.06 MX$56.6

161.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.12 $9.12

$4.94 MX$91.2

84.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.47 MX$27.17

-50.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.22 MX$40.95

45.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.48 MX$27.32

204.73%

Eggs

$3.63 $3.63

$2.49 MX$45.99

45.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.73 $6.73

$7.52 MX$139

-10.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.08 $6.08

$7.96 MX$147

-23.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.96 $17.96

$12.57 MX$232

42.88%

Apples (1kg)

$6.80 $6.80

$2.78 MX$51.3

144.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.43 MX$26.37

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.54 $6.54

$2.62 MX$48.37

149.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.14 MX$39.49

3.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.45 MX$26.76

-28.28%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

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

$141 $141

$85.4 MX$1,577

65.10%

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

$117 $117

$23.46 MX$434

398.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.6 $68.6

$28.43 MX$525

141.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 $50.3

$62.2 MX$1,149

-19.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

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

$201 MX$3,715

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 $1,271

$979 MX$18.1K

29.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 $975

$373 MX$6,887

161.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 $1,966

$1,681 MX$31.1K

16.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 $2,136

$1,095 MX$20.2K

95.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,320 $2,320

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-41.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,329 $2,329

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-62.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,047 $4,047

$738 MX$13.6K

448.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Concord, NC: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Concord, NC

$975 50.5%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 61.8% $602

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Concord, NC

$326 16.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 57.9% $189

Eating Out

Concord, NC

$325 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 38.3% $125

Groceries & Markets

Concord, NC

$256 * 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 1% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Concord, NC

$50 * 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 43.9% $22

Getting Around

Concord, NC

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Concord, NC

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,271 in Concord, NC versus $979 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 run about 449% higher in Concord, NC, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Concord, NC versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $256 in Concord, NC vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Concord, NC wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Concord, NC

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

1 h behind Concord, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,695

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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 →

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Between locations

Concord, NC Playa del Carmen 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Concord, NC
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

Concord, NC vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Concord, NC is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,898 per month in Concord, NC 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Concord, NC – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Concord, NC and $44.00 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 Concord, NC at $1,932. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Concord, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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