Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,171 in Des Moines, IA, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Des Moines, IA
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Des Moines, IA Living Index
59

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

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Des Moines, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,171

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,171 in Des Moines, IA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Des Moines, IA $2,171
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,236 in Des Moines, IA versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Des Moines, IA $3,236
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,301 in Des Moines, IA versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Des Moines, IA $4,301
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Des Moines, IA is roughly 80% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Des Moines, IA is 60% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.69 $19.69

$10.86 MX$201

81.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.8 $80.8

$44.21 MX$817

82.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$11.76 MX$217

3.91%

Cappuccino

$6.16 $6.16

$3.68 MX$68.0

67.39%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$1.34 MX$24.79

118.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$0.82 MX$15.24

212.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 $4.99

$3.06 MX$56.6

63.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$4.94 MX$91.2

19.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.47 MX$27.17

-38.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.22 MX$40.95

36.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.48 MX$27.32

128.38%

Eggs

$4.00 $4.00

$2.49 MX$45.99

60.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 $9.69

$7.52 MX$139

28.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.91 $9.91

$7.96 MX$147

24.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.68 $13.68

$12.57 MX$232

8.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.78 MX$51.3

55.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.43 MX$26.37

5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.62 MX$48.37

73.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.14 MX$39.49

71.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.02 MX$37.38

51.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.99 MX$36.74

7.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.14 MX$21.01

108.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.20 MX$22.18

82.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 $7.85

$4.26 MX$78.7

84.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$10.02 MX$185

47.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.54 MX$28.41

10.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.66 MX$49.17

16.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.53 MX$9.73

226.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.1 $58.1

$27.51 MX$508

111.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 $1.97

$4.90 MX$90.6

-59.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$3.43 MX$63.5

-64.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.70 $19.70

$5.38 MX$99.4

266.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.45 MX$26.76

-35.86%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

28.45%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

9.25%

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

$185 $185

$85.4 MX$1,577

116.26%

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

$53.6 $53.6

$23.46 MX$434

128.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$28.43 MX$525

146.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 $63.8

$62.2 MX$1,149

2.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.14 $20.14

$28.68 MX$530

-29.78%

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 $9.99

$5.10 MX$94.3

95.88%

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

$1,187 $1,187

$201 MX$3,715

490.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K $12.0K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

202.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 $59.5

$44.39 MX$820

34.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.98 $42.98

$41.35 MX$764

3.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$72.7 MX$1,344

38.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$89.6 MX$1,656

61.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 $1,177

$979 MX$18.1K

20.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$872 $872

$373 MX$6,887

134.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 $1,738

$1,681 MX$31.1K

3.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 $1,394

$1,095 MX$20.2K

27.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,320 $2,320

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-41.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,325 $2,325

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-62.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,647 $3,647

$738 MX$13.6K

394.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

11.45

-42.71%

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

Last update for Des Moines, IA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Des Moines, IA

$872 40.2%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 57.3% $500

Groceries & Markets

Des Moines, IA

$349 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 26.1% $91

Eating Out

Des Moines, IA

$327 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 38.7% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Moines, IA

$308 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 55.5% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Des Moines, IA

$157 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 28.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Des Moines, IA

$84 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 13.5% $11

Getting Around

Des Moines, IA

$73 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 29.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,177 in Des Moines, IA and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Moines, IA pays 394% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $81.0 in Des Moines, IA vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Moines, IA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:48 3:48 AM

Same time as Des Moines, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,133

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Des Moines, IA Playa del Carmen 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Des Moines, IA
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

Des Moines, IA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 80% lower than in Des Moines, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 394% higher in Des Moines, IA, 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: $1,177 in Des Moines, IA versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $81.0 in Des Moines, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,171 per month in Des Moines, IA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 80% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,171 in Des Moines, IA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Des Moines, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Des Moines, IA and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Des Moines, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.