Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubuque, IA and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubuque, IA and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Dubuque, IA is 17.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 45.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Dubuque, IA is 26.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 9.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dubuque, IA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.37 $15.37
$11.85 MX$211
29.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.93 $49.93
$42.16 MX$750
18.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.03 $10.03
$10.75 MX$191
-6.70%
Cappuccino
$4.68 $4.68
$3.47 MX$61.8
34.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 $1.95
$1.45 MX$25.85
34.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.95 $0.95
$0.90 MX$16.06
5.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.04 $3.04
$3.05 MX$54.3
-0.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.40 $4.40
$4.42 MX$78.6
-0.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dubuque, IA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.79 $0.79
$1.37 MX$24.36
-42.34%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 $2.28
$1.87 MX$33.31
21.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.09 $3.09
$1.54 MX$27.46
100.65%
Eggs
$2.82 $2.82
$2.50 MX$44.53
12.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.16 $10.16
$8.61 MX$153
18.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.10 $10.10
$8.63 MX$154
17.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.57 $14.57
$11.02 MX$196
32.21%
Apples (1kg)
$3.69 $3.69
$2.75 MX$48.91
34.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.17 $1.17
$1.43 MX$25.41
-18.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.75 $3.75
$1.87 MX$33.32
100.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.39 $3.39
$2.17 MX$38.56
56.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.75 $1.75
$1.88 MX$33.50
-6.91%
Onion (1kg)
$2.11 $2.11
$2.25 MX$39.96
-6.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.93 $1.93
$1.07 MX$18.99
80.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.01 $2.01
$1.07 MX$19.10
87.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.38 $8.38
$4.15 MX$73.9
101.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.33 $13.33
$10.34 MX$184
28.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.88 $1.88
$1.68 MX$29.87
11.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 $2.80
$2.48 MX$44.19
12.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Dubuque, IA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.37 $1.37
$0.55 MX$9.87
149.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.07 $45.07
$26.53 MX$472
69.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.73 $2.73
$3.22 MX$57.2
-15.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.61 $1.61
$2.48 MX$44.15
-35.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.76 $20.76
$3.11 MX$55.3
567.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.87 $0.87
$1.26 MX$22.34
-30.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.5K $29.5K
$30.7K MX$545.4K
-3.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K $22.5K
$24.0K MX$427.6K
-6.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dubuque, IA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$182 $182
$82.5 MX$1,467
120.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$48.56 $48.56
$22.29 MX$396
117.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$62.8 $62.8
$30.02 MX$534
109.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dubuque, IA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.48 $37.48
$51.4 MX$915
-27.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.29 MX$325
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.88 $8.88
$4.98 MX$88.7
78.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dubuque, IA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$816 $816
$200 MX$3,558
307.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.7K $23.7K
$5,304 MX$94.4K
347.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dubuque, IA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.31 $42.31
$35.71 MX$635
18.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.76 $34.76
$39.56 MX$704
-12.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.8 $79.8
$80.6 MX$1,433
-0.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.2 $90.2
$88.3 MX$1,571
2.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dubuque, IA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$982 $982
$969 MX$17.2K
1.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$741 $741
$482 MX$8,579
53.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,380 $1,380
$1,595 MX$28.4K
-13.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$961 $961
$1,184 MX$21.1K
-18.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,732 $1,732
$4,050 MX$72.1K
-57.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,733 $1,733
$6,522 MX$116.0K
-73.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dubuque, IA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,511 $4,511
$756 MX$13.5K
496.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.88
11.42
-57.27%

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

Last update for Dubuque, IA: March 3, 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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