Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dickinson, ND and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,616 in Dickinson, ND, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Dickinson, ND
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Dickinson, ND Living Index
57

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

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Dickinson, ND

🇺🇸 United States

$2,616

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,616 in Dickinson, ND versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Dickinson, ND $2,616
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,852 in Dickinson, ND versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Dickinson, ND $3,852
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,089 in Dickinson, ND versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Dickinson, ND $5,089
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Dickinson, ND is roughly 118% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dickinson, ND is 93% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.78 $19.78

$10.67 MX$201

85.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.8 $80.8

$43.80 MX$824

84.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.49 $12.49

$11.79 MX$222

5.94%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$3.79 MX$71.2

42.48%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$1.30 MX$24.41

133.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.83 MX$15.69

174.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 $6.61

$3.15 MX$59.2

109.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.58 $7.58

$4.93 MX$92.9

53.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.41 MX$26.51

-25.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.20 MX$41.32

58.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.47 MX$27.71

94.56%

Eggs

$4.21 $4.21

$2.50 MX$46.99

68.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.66 $12.66

$7.29 MX$137

73.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.77 $11.77

$7.95 MX$150

48.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 $17.21

$12.86 MX$242

33.83%

Apples (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$2.90 MX$54.5

79.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.38 MX$26.03

19.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.49 MX$46.88

-2.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$2.03 MX$38.20

129.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.02 MX$38.11

36.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.90 MX$35.82

53.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.14 MX$21.54

93.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.24 MX$23.32

77.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.41 $9.41

$4.27 MX$80.4

120.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.80 $14.80

$9.81 MX$185

50.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.59 MX$29.85

26.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 $3.50

$2.75 MX$51.7

27.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.51 MX$9.69

243.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 $60.7

$27.39 MX$515

121.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 $3.42

$4.76 MX$89.6

-28.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$3.25 MX$61.1

-43.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.58 $33.58

$5.39 MX$101

523.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.53 MX$28.76

-25.49%

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

$32.0K $32.0K

$21.2K MX$399.2K

51.03%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$23.3K MX$437.8K

15.78%

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

$219 $219

$83.5 MX$1,571

161.78%

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

$54.7 $54.7

$23.19 MX$436

135.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 $67.5

$27.61 MX$520

144.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 $44.41

$56.4 MX$1,062

-21.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$14.20 $14.20

$5.00 MX$94.1

184.00%

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

$1,339 $1,339

$207 MX$3,897

546.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$5,231 MX$98.4K

306.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$43.45 MX$818

20.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.18 $36.18

$42.54 MX$801

-14.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 $82.6

$72.8 MX$1,369

13.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$88.4 MX$1,663

36.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$917 $917

$995 MX$18.7K

-7.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,273 $1,273

$382 MX$7,197

232.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,551 $2,551

$1,674 MX$31.5K

52.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,135 $2,135

$1,081 MX$20.3K

97.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,567 $1,567

$3,909 MX$73.6K

-59.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,593 $1,593

$6,138 MX$115.5K

-74.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

11.45

-42.45%

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

Last update for Dickinson, ND: 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

Dickinson, ND

$1.3K 48.7%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 70% $891

Groceries & Markets

Dickinson, ND

$387 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 33.5% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dickinson, ND

$341 13%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 60.6% $206

Eating Out

Dickinson, ND

$330 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 39.3% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Dickinson, ND

$132 5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 15.4% $20

Getting Around

Dickinson, ND

$80 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 37.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Dickinson, ND

$73 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 8.8% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $917 in Dickinson, ND and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $81 in Dickinson, ND vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dickinson, ND

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

01:16 1:16 AM

2 h ahead of Dickinson, ND

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,636

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 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 = 0.894 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Dickinson, ND Playa del Carmen 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dickinson, ND
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

Dickinson, ND vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 54% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,923 in Dickinson, ND 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $917 in Dickinson, ND versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Dickinson, ND. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $81 in Dickinson, ND. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,616 in Dickinson, ND, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Dickinson, ND. 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.