Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Moines, IA and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Moines, IA and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Des Moines, IA is 44% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 65.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Des Moines, IA is 38% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 37.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.08 $16.08

$11.85 MX$211

35.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 $79.5

$42.16 MX$750

88.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.19 $12.19

$10.75 MX$191

13.40%

Cappuccino

$4.80 $4.80

$3.47 MX$61.8

38.33%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$1.45 MX$25.85

64.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.90 MX$16.06

106.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.05 MX$54.3

66.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 $6.90

$4.42 MX$78.6

56.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.37 MX$24.36

-29.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.87 MX$33.31

34.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.54 MX$27.46

39.61%

Eggs

$3.55 $3.55

$2.50 MX$44.53

42.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$8.61 MX$153

48.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$8.63 MX$154

20.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 $12.69

$11.02 MX$196

15.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.75 MX$48.91

64.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.43 MX$25.41

2.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 $3.70

$1.87 MX$33.32

97.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.17 MX$38.56

66.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.88 MX$33.50

-11.17%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.25 MX$39.96

34.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.07 MX$18.99

109.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.07 MX$19.10

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.12 $7.12

$4.15 MX$73.9

71.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.31 $14.31

$10.34 MX$184

38.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.68 MX$29.87

4.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.48 MX$44.19

61.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.55 MX$9.87

212.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 $58.4

$26.53 MX$472

120.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.22 MX$57.2

-36.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.48 MX$44.15

-50.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.84 $19.84

$3.11 MX$55.3

537.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.26 MX$22.34

-34.92%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$30.7K MX$545.4K

-16.68%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$24.0K MX$427.6K

2.29%

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

$147 $147

$82.5 MX$1,467

78.01%

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

$51.4 $51.4

$22.29 MX$396

130.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 $54.4

$30.02 MX$534

81.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.3 $67.3

$51.4 MX$915

30.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.61 $19.61

$18.29 MX$325

7.22%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$4.98 MX$88.7

201.61%

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

$1,348 $1,348

$200 MX$3,558

573.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K $11.8K

$5,304 MX$94.4K

122.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$35.71 MX$635

46.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.52 $42.52

$39.56 MX$704

7.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 $71.7

$80.6 MX$1,433

-11.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$88.3 MX$1,571

40.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 $1,207

$969 MX$17.2K

24.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$902 $902

$482 MX$8,579

86.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 $1,775

$1,595 MX$28.4K

11.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 $1,498

$1,184 MX$21.1K

26.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,283 $2,283

$4,050 MX$72.1K

-43.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,303 $2,303

$6,522 MX$116.0K

-64.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,601 $3,601

$756 MX$13.5K

376.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

11.42

-43.08%

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

Last update for Des Moines, IA: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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