Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Covington, LA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,735 in Covington, LA, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Covington, LA
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Covington, LA Living Index
57

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

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Covington, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,735

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,735 in Covington, LA versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Covington, LA $2,735
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,834 in Covington, LA versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Covington, LA $3,834
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,933 in Covington, LA versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Covington, LA $4,933
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Covington, LA is roughly 127% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Covington, LA is 102% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.65 $18.65

$10.67 MX$199

74.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 $55.1

$43.80 MX$815

25.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 $11.79

$11.79 MX$219

Cappuccino

$2.94 $2.94

$3.79 MX$70.5

-22.43%

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

$1.75 $1.75

$1.30 MX$24.14

34.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 $1.42

$0.83 MX$15.51

71.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.13 $4.13

$3.15 MX$58.6

31.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 $5.15

$4.93 MX$91.8

4.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.41 MX$26.22

-37.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.20 MX$40.86

55.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.47 MX$27.40

81.63%

Eggs

$3.26 $3.26

$2.50 MX$46.47

30.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$7.29 MX$136

-27.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 $7.52

$7.95 MX$148

-5.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 $13.99

$12.86 MX$239

8.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.90 MX$53.9

40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.38 MX$25.74

-38.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.49 MX$46.36

6.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.03 MX$37.78

113.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.02 MX$37.69

33.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.90 MX$35.42

41.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.14 MX$21.30

83.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.24 MX$23.06

72.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.90 $8.90

$4.27 MX$79.5

108.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$9.81 MX$183

51.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.59 MX$29.51

27.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.75 MX$51.1

38.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 $1.90

$0.51 MX$9.58

272.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 $60.7

$27.39 MX$510

121.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 $2.56

$4.76 MX$88.6

-46.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$3.25 MX$60.5

-49.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.09 $26.09

$5.39 MX$100

384.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.53 MX$28.44

-33.33%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

69.02%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

14.19%

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

$307 $307

$83.5 MX$1,554

267.97%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$23.19 MX$431

118.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$27.61 MX$514

155.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.34 $39.34

$56.4 MX$1,050

-30.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$10.32 $10.32

$5.00 MX$93.1

106.40%

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

$590 $590

$207 MX$3,854

184.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K $12.1K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

131.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.17 $46.17

$43.45 MX$809

6.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.51 $40.51

$42.54 MX$792

-4.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 $85.9

$72.8 MX$1,354

18.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 $93.5

$88.4 MX$1,645

5.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 $1,674

$995 MX$18.5K

68.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 $1,469

$382 MX$7,116

284.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,203 $3,203

$1,674 MX$31.2K

91.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,382 $2,382

$1,081 MX$20.1K

120.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,877 $2,877

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-26.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,364 $2,364

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-61.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,811 $4,811

$832 MX$15.5K

478.02%

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 Covington, LA: October 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Covington, LA

$1.5K 53.7%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 74% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Covington, LA

$428 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 68.7% $294

Groceries & Markets

Covington, LA

$315 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 18.2% $57

Eating Out

Covington, LA

$264 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 24% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Covington, LA

$120 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 7.1% $8.5

Getting Around

Covington, LA

$79 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 36.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Covington, LA

$60 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 10.8% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,674 in Covington, LA and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Covington, LA pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Covington, LA vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Covington, LA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

12:49 12:49 PM

1 h ahead of Covington, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,870

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Covington, LA Playa del Carmen 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Covington, LA
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

Covington, LA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 56% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Covington, LA is about 5.8 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: $1,674 in Covington, LA versus $995 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 55% less than in Covington, LA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $590 in Covington, LA versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,735 in Covington, LA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Covington, LA. 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 56% less than in Covington, LA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.