Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Del Rio, TX and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,963 in Del Rio, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Del Rio, TX, United States
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Del Rio, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$1,963
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,963 in Del Rio, TX versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Del Rio, TX $1,963
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,946 in Del Rio, TX versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Del Rio, TX $2,946
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,930 in Del Rio, TX versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Del Rio, TX $3,930
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Del Rio, TX is roughly 63% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Del Rio, TX is 45% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Del Rio, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.02 $18.02
$10.67 MX$199
68.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.84 $47.84
$43.80 MX$815
9.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.19 $11.19
$11.79 MX$219
-5.09%
Cappuccino
$5.38 $5.38
$3.79 MX$70.5
41.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 $2.17
$1.30 MX$24.14
66.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 $1.68
$0.83 MX$15.51
102.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.99 $3.99
$3.15 MX$58.6
26.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.89 $4.89
$4.93 MX$91.8
-0.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Del Rio, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 $1.15
$1.41 MX$26.22
-18.44%
White Bread (500g)
$3.43 $3.43
$2.20 MX$40.86
55.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.46 $4.46
$1.47 MX$27.40
203.40%
Eggs
$3.75 $3.75
$2.50 MX$46.47
50.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.00 $12.00
$7.29 MX$136
64.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.57 $11.57
$7.95 MX$148
45.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.88 $17.88
$12.86 MX$239
39.04%
Apples (1kg)
$4.66 $4.66
$2.90 MX$53.9
60.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.60 $1.60
$1.38 MX$25.74
15.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.50 $4.50
$2.49 MX$46.36
80.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.55 $3.55
$2.03 MX$37.78
74.88%
Potato (1kg)
$2.70 $2.70
$2.02 MX$37.69
33.66%
Onion (1kg)
$3.13 $3.13
$1.90 MX$35.42
64.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.90 $1.90
$1.14 MX$21.30
66.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 $2.26
$1.24 MX$23.06
82.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.01 $10.01
$4.27 MX$79.5
134.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.77 $14.77
$9.81 MX$183
50.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.71 $2.71
$1.59 MX$29.51
70.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52 $3.52
$2.75 MX$51.1
28.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Del Rio, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.51 MX$9.58
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.39 MX$510
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.51 $3.51
$4.76 MX$88.6
-26.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.83 $1.83
$3.25 MX$60.5
-43.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.50 $27.50
$5.39 MX$100
410.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.96 $0.96
$1.53 MX$28.44
-37.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.5K $35.5K
$21.2K MX$394.8K
67.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.4K $26.4K
$23.3K MX$432.9K
13.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Del Rio, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$217 $217
$83.5 MX$1,554
160.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$72.5 $72.5
$23.19 MX$431
212.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$78.2 $78.2
$27.61 MX$514
183.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Del Rio, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$56.4 MX$1,050
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.19 MX$525
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.92 $14.92
$5.00 MX$93.1
198.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Del Rio, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,294 $1,294
$207 MX$3,854
524.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.5K $24.5K
$5,231 MX$97.4K
367.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Del Rio, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 $53.9
$43.45 MX$809
24.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.51 $49.51
$42.54 MX$792
16.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$140 $140
$72.8 MX$1,354
92.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$153 $153
$88.4 MX$1,645
72.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Del Rio, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$842 $842
$995 MX$18.5K
-15.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$693 $693
$382 MX$7,116
81.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,540 $1,540
$1,674 MX$31.2K
-8.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,286 $1,286
$1,081 MX$20.1K
18.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,646 $1,646
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-57.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,687 $1,687
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-72.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Del Rio, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$832 MX$15.5K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.48
11.45
-43.41%

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

Last update for Del Rio, TX: November 1, 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
Del Rio, TX
$693
Playa del Carmen
$382 44.8% $310
Groceries & Markets
Del Rio, TX
$394
Playa del Carmen
$257 34.7% $137
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Del Rio, TX
$368
Playa del Carmen
$134 63.5% $234
Eating Out
Del Rio, TX
$287
Playa del Carmen
$200 30.3% $87
Clothing & Footwear
Del Rio, TX
$178
Playa del Carmen
$111 37.6% $67
Sport & Entertainment
Del Rio, TX
$30 *
Playa del Carmen
$66 123% $37
Getting Around
Del Rio, TX
$13 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 298% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $842 in Del Rio, TX and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Del Rio, TX vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $394 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Del Rio, TX
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
17:13 5:13 PM
18:13 6:13 PM
1 h ahead of Del Rio, TX
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
34,673
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Del Rio, TX Playa del Carmen 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Del Rio, 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
Del Rio, TX vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Del Rio, TX?
Playa del Carmen is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $2,945 in Del Rio, TX and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Del Rio, TX and Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $842 in Del Rio, TX versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Del Rio, TX and in Playa del Carmen?
Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Del Rio, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Del Rio, TX and in Playa del Carmen?
All in, you’ll spend $1,963 per month in Del Rio, TX versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Del Rio, TX or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,963 in Del Rio, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Del Rio, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Del Rio, TX or in Playa del Carmen?
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.

Del Rio, TX vs other spots: cost of living compared

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