Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denver and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,433 in Denver, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Denver
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Denver Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Denver

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,433

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,433 per month in Denver vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Denver $2,433
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,666 per month in Denver vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Denver $3,666
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,899 per month in Denver vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Denver $4,899
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Denver costs about 102% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Denver sits 79% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 A$21.83

$10.92 MX$203

40.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.3 A$117

$43.37 MX$805

89.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 A$15.44

$11.78 MX$219

-8.23%

Cappuccino

$3.62 A$5.17

$3.81 MX$70.7

-4.99%

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

$2.76 A$3.93

$1.28 MX$23.81

115.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 A$3.50

$0.78 MX$14.54

214.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.34 A$11.91

$3.17 MX$58.8

163.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 A$10.24

$4.93 MX$91.7

45.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 A$2.33

$1.41 MX$26.12

15.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 A$3.88

$2.22 MX$41.17

22.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.58

$1.42 MX$26.32

76.76%

Eggs

$5.38 A$7.68

$2.52 MX$46.85

113.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 A$12.20

$7.26 MX$135

17.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.64 A$12.33

$7.70 MX$143

12.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 A$20.61

$12.69 MX$236

13.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 A$4.73

$2.78 MX$51.7

19.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.93 A$4.19

$1.37 MX$25.41

113.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 A$4.00

$2.55 MX$47.37

9.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 A$7.44

$2.12 MX$39.43

145.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.60

$1.94 MX$36.00

29.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.17

$1.89 MX$35.02

17.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$1.15 MX$21.29

115.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 A$2.49

$1.18 MX$21.89

48.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$46.36 A$66.2

$4.30 MX$79.8

978.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.82 A$18.31

$9.95 MX$185

28.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.68 A$6.68

$1.58 MX$29.41

196.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 A$7.49

$2.67 MX$49.60

96.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 A$4.20

$0.55 MX$10.28

434.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 A$112

$26.62 MX$494

193.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 A$4.51

$4.97 MX$92.3

-36.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 A$2.02

$3.33 MX$61.9

-57.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.23 A$61.7

$5.36 MX$99.5

706.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 A$1.82

$1.44 MX$26.82

-11.11%

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

$27.1K A$38.7K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

31.13%

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

$24.8K A$35.4K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

5.62%

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

$198 A$283

$84.8 MX$1,575

133.41%

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

$25.50 A$36.42

$23.41 MX$435

8.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 A$74.7

$28.66 MX$532

82.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 A$74.0

$57.1 MX$1,059

-9.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.82 A$28.30

$28.91 MX$537

-31.44%

Cinema Ticket

$15.49 A$22.12

$5.14 MX$95.4

201.36%

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

$1,868 A$2,668

$207 MX$3,836

804.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K A$33.2K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

491.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 A$121

$43.35 MX$805

95.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.4 A$86.3

$41.44 MX$770

45.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 A$170

$74.2 MX$1,378

60.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 A$159

$89.3 MX$1,657

25.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,312 A$1,874

$980 MX$18.2K

33.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 A$1,669

$381 MX$7,072

206.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,082 A$2,974

$1,708 MX$31.7K

21.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,058 A$2,938

$1,075 MX$20.0K

91.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,557 A$9,364

$3,943 MX$73.2K

66.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,330 A$6,184

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-29.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

11.45

-48.47%

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

Last update for Denver: 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

Denver

$1.2K 48%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 67.4% $788

Groceries & Markets

Denver

$361 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 29.4% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denver

$276 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 50.4% $139

Eating Out

Denver

$275 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 26.4% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Denver

$169 7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 34% $58

Getting Around

Denver

$100 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 49.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Denver

$83 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 18.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,312 in Denver versus $980 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in Denver versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Denver

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:51 7:51 PM

03:51 3:51 AM

16 h behind Denver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Denver Playa del Carmen 14,760 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Denver
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

Denver vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,433 in Denver, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 50% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,649 per month in Denver 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,312 in Denver.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,868 per month in Denver and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing 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 Denver at $2,433. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Denver 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.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 50% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.