Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Downey, CA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,035 in Downey, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Downey, CA
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Downey, CA Living Index
59

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

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Downey, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,035

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,035 in Downey, CA versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Downey, CA $3,035
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,713 in Downey, CA versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Downey, CA $4,713
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,391 in Downey, CA versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Downey, CA $6,391
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Downey, CA is roughly 151% 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: Downey, CA is 125% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.83 $24.83

$10.76 MX$199

130.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 $80.2

$43.03 MX$795

86.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.21 $15.21

$11.79 MX$218

29.01%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$3.87 MX$71.4

46.25%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$1.37 MX$25.29

130.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.84 MX$15.44

178.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.38 $7.38

$3.10 MX$57.3

138.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.36 $9.36

$5.07 MX$93.6

84.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.44 MX$26.55

-22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.23 MX$41.23

83.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.47 MX$27.17

219.73%

Eggs

$4.67 $4.67

$2.53 MX$46.71

84.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.30 MX$135

76.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$7.86 MX$145

70.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.25 $15.25

$12.79 MX$236

19.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.90 MX$53.6

62.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.44 MX$26.53

14.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.55 MX$47.07

61.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$2.06 MX$38.03

166.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.00 MX$36.97

85.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.01 MX$37.07

53.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.19 MX$22.02

70.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.26 MX$23.23

76.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.68 $11.68

$4.40 MX$81.4

165.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.98 $14.98

$9.59 MX$177

56.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.59 MX$29.41

26.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.81 MX$51.9

49.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 $6.34

$4.98 MX$92.1

27.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.47 MX$27.08

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

79.66%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

7.58%

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

$170 $170

$84.2 MX$1,556

102.22%

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

$66.6 $66.6

$23.99 MX$443

177.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.3 $72.3

$29.02 MX$536

149.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.92 $34.92

$63.0 MX$1,164

-44.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 $15.11

$4.94 MX$91.3

205.87%

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

$1,188 $1,188

$204 MX$3,763

483.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 $58.6

$43.60 MX$806

34.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.89 $45.89

$43.12 MX$797

6.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 $92.0

$75.8 MX$1,400

21.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$88.6 MX$1,637

62.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 $1,946

$1,008 MX$18.6K

93.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 $1,693

$374 MX$6,911

352.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,725 $3,725

$1,708 MX$31.6K

118.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,383 $3,383

$1,106 MX$20.4K

205.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,755 $5,755

$3,944 MX$72.9K

45.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,766 $5,766

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-6.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,178 $4,178

$754 MX$13.9K

454.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

11.45

-44.19%

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

Last update for Downey, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Downey, CA

$1.7K 55.8%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 77.9% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Downey, CA

$419 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 38.3% $160

Eating Out

Downey, CA

$390 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 48.1% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Downey, CA

$309 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 55.6% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Downey, CA

$153 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 26.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Downey, CA

$65 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 11.9% $7.7

Getting Around

Downey, CA

$6.3 * 0.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 729% $46

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 $1,946 in Downey, CA and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Downey, CA pays 454% 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: $80.0 in Downey, CA vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $419 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Downey, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

12:28 12:28 PM

2 h ahead of Downey, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,355

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Downey, CA Playa del Carmen 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Downey, CA
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

Downey, CA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 151% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 454% higher in Downey, CA, 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: $1,946 in Downey, CA versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Downey, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,035 per month in Downey, CA versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 151% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,035 in Downey, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Downey, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Downey, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Downey, CA 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 151% less than in Downey, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.