Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dover, NH and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,465 in Dover, NH, rent and utilities included – about $27,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Dover, NH
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Dover, NH Living Index
58

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

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Dover, NH

🇺🇸 United States

$3,465

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,465 in Dover, NH versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Dover, NH $3,465
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,143 in Dover, NH versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Dover, NH $5,143
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,821 in Dover, NH versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Dover, NH $6,821
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Dover, NH is roughly 188% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dover, NH is 155% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.82 $17.82

$10.92 MX$205

63.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.7 $94.7

$43.37 MX$813

118.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 $13.16

$11.78 MX$221

11.71%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$3.81 MX$71.4

41.21%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$1.28 MX$24.03

92.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.78 MX$14.67

97.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.17 MX$59.3

57.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 $7.94

$4.93 MX$92.5

61.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.41 MX$26.35

-25.53%

White Bread (500g)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.22 MX$41.54

83.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$1.42 MX$26.56

280.28%

Eggs

$4.79 $4.79

$2.52 MX$47.27

90.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.39 $11.39

$7.26 MX$136

56.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.13 $14.13

$7.70 MX$144

83.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.67 $17.67

$12.69 MX$238

39.24%

Apples (1kg)

$6.82 $6.82

$2.78 MX$52.2

145.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.37 MX$25.64

27.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$2.55 MX$47.80

166.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$2.12 MX$39.78

158.96%

Potato (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$1.94 MX$36.32

244.85%

Onion (1kg)

$5.80 $5.80

$1.89 MX$35.34

206.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.15 MX$21.49

160.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.18 MX$22.09

236.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.69 $13.69

$4.30 MX$80.5

218.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 $13.35

$9.95 MX$186

34.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.58 MX$29.67

30.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.67 MX$50.1

56.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.55 MX$10.37

212.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.8 $79.8

$26.62 MX$499

199.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.44 MX$27.06

-39.58%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

31.46%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

12.49%

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

$324 $324

$84.8 MX$1,589

282.27%

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

$98.8 $98.8

$23.41 MX$439

321.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$139 $139

$28.66 MX$537

385.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 $72.7

$57.1 MX$1,069

27.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.60 $30.60

$28.91 MX$542

5.85%

Cinema Ticket

$12.10 $12.10

$5.14 MX$96.3

135.41%

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

$1,860 $1,860

$207 MX$3,871

800.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K $19.8K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

405.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 $56.2

$43.35 MX$812

29.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.06 $39.06

$41.44 MX$777

-5.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 $79.9

$74.2 MX$1,390

7.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$89.3 MX$1,672

12.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,072 $2,072

$980 MX$18.4K

111.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,806 $1,806

$381 MX$7,136

374.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 $3,988

$1,708 MX$32.0K

133.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,281 $3,281

$1,075 MX$20.1K

205.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,836 $3,836

$735 MX$13.8K

422.27%

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 Dover, NH: October 25, 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

Dover, NH

$1.8K 52.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 78.9% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dover, NH

$562 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 75.6% $425

Groceries & Markets

Dover, NH

$486 14%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 47.5% $231

Eating Out

Dover, NH

$303 8.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 33.3% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Dover, NH

$124 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 10% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Dover, NH

$97 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 30.5% $30

Getting Around

Dover, NH

$87 * 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 41.8% $36

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 $2,072 in Dover, NH and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dover, NH pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $95 in Dover, NH vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $486 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dover, NH

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:53 4:53 PM

Same time as Dover, NH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,735

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Dover, NH Playa del Carmen 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dover, NH
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

Dover, NH vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 65% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Dover, NH is about 5.2 times higher, 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: $2,072 in Dover, NH versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,860 in Dover, NH versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 91% higher in Dover, NH. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,465 in Dover, NH, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Dover, NH. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Dover, NH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.