Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,731 in Dubuque, IA, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Dubuque, IA
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Dubuque, 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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Dubuque, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,731

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,731 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $1,731
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,538 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $2,538
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,345 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $3,345
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Dubuque, IA costs about 44% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Dubuque, IA sits 28% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 $13.85

$10.86 MX$201

27.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.71 $49.71

$44.21 MX$817

12.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$11.76 MX$217

0.34%

Cappuccino

$4.99 $4.99

$3.68 MX$68.0

35.60%

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

$2.02 $2.02

$1.34 MX$24.79

50.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.82 MX$15.24

15.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 $3.01

$3.06 MX$56.6

-1.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 $4.53

$4.94 MX$91.2

-8.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.47 MX$27.17

-46.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.22 MX$40.95

22.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.48 MX$27.32

90.54%

Eggs

$2.85 $2.85

$2.49 MX$45.99

14.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 $14.05

$7.52 MX$139

86.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$7.96 MX$147

30.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 $10.63

$12.57 MX$232

-15.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.78 MX$51.3

19.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.43 MX$26.37

-15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.62 MX$48.37

24.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.14 MX$39.49

14.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 $1.36

$2.02 MX$37.38

-32.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.99 MX$36.74

-16.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.14 MX$21.01

112.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.20 MX$22.18

49.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.70 $8.70

$4.26 MX$78.7

104.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.36 $13.36

$10.02 MX$185

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.54 MX$28.41

9.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.66 MX$49.17

6.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.45 MX$26.76

-37.24%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

15.95%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

8.74%

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

$176 $176

$85.4 MX$1,577

106.48%

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

$52.0 $52.0

$23.46 MX$434

121.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 $50.7

$28.43 MX$525

78.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.87 $36.87

$62.2 MX$1,149

-40.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$8.17 $8.17

$5.10 MX$94.3

60.20%

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

$812 $812

$201 MX$3,715

303.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$44.39 MX$820

25.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.65 $35.65

$41.35 MX$764

-13.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 $86.1

$72.7 MX$1,344

18.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 $88.7

$89.6 MX$1,656

-1.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 $985

$979 MX$18.1K

0.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 $725

$373 MX$6,887

94.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 $1,476

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-12.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 $1,201

$1,095 MX$20.2K

9.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,732 $1,732

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-56.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,707 $1,707

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-72.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,768 $3,768

$738 MX$13.6K

410.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

11.45

-54.15%

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

Last update for Dubuque, 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

Dubuque, IA

$725 41.9%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 48.6% $352

Groceries & Markets

Dubuque, IA

$312 18%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 17.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubuque, IA

$279 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 50.8% $142

Eating Out

Dubuque, IA

$242 14%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 17.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Dubuque, IA

$120 6.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 6.7% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Dubuque, IA

$53 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 36.1% $19

Getting Around

Dubuque, IA

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Dubuque, IA versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 411% higher in Dubuque, IA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Dubuque, IA versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dubuque, IA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:34 9:34 PM

Same time as Dubuque, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,667

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

Dubuque, IA Playa del Carmen 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubuque, 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

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

Dubuque, IA costs about 44% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,596 per month in Dubuque, IA and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,731 in Dubuque, IA and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 44%.

Kindergarten costs $812 per month in Dubuque, IA and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Dubuque, IA at $1,731. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubuque, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,731 in Dubuque, IA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dubuque, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.