Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Mesa, CA and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Mesa, CA and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Costa Mesa, CA is 39.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 207% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Costa Mesa, CA is 94.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 118.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Costa Mesa, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.92 $19.92
$11.99 MX$227
66.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.2 $79.2
$42.47 MX$803
86.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.8 $11.8
$10.47 MX$198
12.70%
Cappuccino
$5.32 $5.32
$3.6 MX$68.2
47.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.35 $3.35
$1.44 MX$27.16
132.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.23 $2.23
$0.89 MX$16.79
150.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.04 $7.04
$3.09 MX$58.5
127.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.9 $7.9
$4.58 MX$86.6
72.49%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Costa Mesa, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 $1.12
$1.38 MX$26.04
-18.84%
White Bread (500g)
$4.08 $4.08
$1.85 MX$34.9
120.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.31 $4.31
$1.57 MX$29.68
174.52%
Eggs
$4.93 $4.93
$2.55 MX$48.3
93.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.55 $10.55
$8.61 MX$163
22.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 $8.47
$8.54 MX$161
-0.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.27 $14.27
$10.98 MX$208
29.96%
Apples (1kg)
$4.52 $4.52
$2.72 MX$51.4
66.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.96 $1.96
$1.51 MX$28.57
29.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.5 $4.5
$1.88 MX$35.63
139.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.48 $5.48
$2.19 MX$41.42
150.23%
Potato (1kg)
$4.37 $4.37
$1.87 MX$35.3
133.69%
Onion (1kg)
$2.85 $2.85
$2.19 MX$41.37
30.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.08 $2.08
$1.07 MX$20.23
94.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.12 $2.12
$1.09 MX$20.64
94.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.79 $10.79
$3.96 MX$74.9
172.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.46 $13.46
$8.86 MX$167
51.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2 $2
$1.72 MX$32.53
16.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.41 $3.41
$2.61 MX$49.37
30.65%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Costa Mesa, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.04 $2.04
$0.52 MX$9.74
292.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.56 $6.56
$3.24 MX$61.2
102.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.81 $2.81
$2.38 MX$44.94
18.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.36 $29.36
$3.11 MX$58.7
844.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 $1.25
$1.31 MX$24.85
-4.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24K $24K
$30.3K MX$573K
-20.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.6K $24.6K
$24K MX$453.6K
2.45%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Costa Mesa, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$291 $291
$84.2 MX$1,592
245.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$52.8 $52.8
$22.14 MX$419
138.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.5 $60.5
$30.14 MX$570
100.63%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Costa Mesa, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.34 $39.34
$52 MX$983
-24.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.72 MX$354
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.91 $14.91
$5.07 MX$95.9
194.08%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Costa Mesa, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,206 $1,206
$200 MX$3,787
502.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.9K $23.9K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
347.54%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Costa Mesa, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.6 $55.6
$35.74 MX$676
55.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.5 $34.5
$39.8 MX$753
-13.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.3 $87.3
$79 MX$1,493
10.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102 $102
$88.4 MX$1,671
15.66%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Costa Mesa, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,804 $2,804
$965 MX$18.3K
190.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,474 $2,474
$474 MX$8,968
421.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,947 $3,947
$1,653 MX$31.2K
138.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,887 $3,887
$1,202 MX$22.7K
223.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,932 $2,932
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-4.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,360 $2,360
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-68.65%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Costa Mesa, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,322 $6,322
$792 MX$15K
698.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.58
11.42
-42.38%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Costa Mesa, CA: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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