Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Duluth, GA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,637 in Duluth, GA, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Duluth, GA
🇺🇸 United States
$2,637
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,637 in Duluth, GA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Duluth, GA $2,637
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,709 in Duluth, GA versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Duluth, GA $3,709
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,781 in Duluth, GA versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Duluth, GA $4,781
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Duluth, GA is roughly 119% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Duluth, GA is 95% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Duluth, GA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.43 $18.43
$10.86 MX$201
69.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.1 $88.1
$44.21 MX$817
99.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.18 $10.18
$11.76 MX$217
-13.44%
Cappuccino
$4.72 $4.72
$3.68 MX$68.0
28.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 $2.97
$1.34 MX$24.79
121.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 $2.08
$0.82 MX$15.24
153.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.62 $5.62
$3.06 MX$56.6
83.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.34 $7.34
$4.94 MX$91.2
48.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Duluth, GA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.91 $0.91
$1.47 MX$27.17
-38.10%
White Bread (500g)
$3.97 $3.97
$2.22 MX$40.95
78.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.55 $4.55
$1.48 MX$27.32
207.43%
Eggs
$3.98 $3.98
$2.49 MX$45.99
59.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.47 $14.47
$7.52 MX$139
92.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.11 $9.11
$7.96 MX$147
14.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.36 $19.36
$12.57 MX$232
54.02%
Apples (1kg)
$4.48 $4.48
$2.78 MX$51.3
61.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 $1.55
$1.43 MX$26.37
8.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.08 $4.08
$2.62 MX$48.37
55.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.53 $4.53
$2.14 MX$39.49
111.68%
Potato (1kg)
$3.85 $3.85
$2.02 MX$37.38
90.59%
Onion (1kg)
$3.81 $3.81
$1.99 MX$36.74
91.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.28 $2.28
$1.14 MX$21.01
100.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.01 $2.01
$1.20 MX$22.18
67.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.36 $8.36
$4.26 MX$78.7
96.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.84 $14.84
$10.02 MX$185
48.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 $1.62
$1.54 MX$28.41
5.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 $2.55
$2.66 MX$49.17
-4.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Duluth, GA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.70 $2.70
$0.53 MX$9.73
409.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.51 MX$508
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.94 $2.94
$4.90 MX$90.6
-40.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.50 $1.50
$3.43 MX$63.5
-56.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.79 $17.79
$5.38 MX$99.4
230.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.93 $0.93
$1.45 MX$26.76
-35.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K $26.8K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
26.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.0K $26.0K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
12.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Duluth, GA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 $144
$85.4 MX$1,577
68.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$53.2 $53.2
$23.46 MX$434
126.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.5 $69.5
$28.43 MX$525
144.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Duluth, GA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$62.2 MX$1,149
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.02 $10.02
$28.68 MX$530
-65.06%
Cinema Ticket
$16.83 $16.83
$5.10 MX$94.3
230.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Duluth, GA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,223 $1,223
$201 MX$3,715
508.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.1K $10.1K
$3,947 MX$72.9K
154.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Duluth, GA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.6 $51.6
$44.39 MX$820
16.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.18 $35.18
$41.35 MX$764
-14.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.8 $88.8
$72.7 MX$1,344
22.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$135 $135
$89.6 MX$1,656
50.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Duluth, GA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$979 MX$18.1K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,482 $1,482
$373 MX$6,887
297.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,283 $2,283
$1,681 MX$31.1K
35.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,073 $2,073
$1,095 MX$20.2K
89.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Duluth, GA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,152 $4,152
$738 MX$13.6K
463.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.72
11.45
-41.31%

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

Last update for Duluth, GA: October 18, 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
Duluth, GA
$1.5K
Playa del Carmen
$373 74.9% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Duluth, GA
$396
Playa del Carmen
$258 34.7% $138
Eating Out
Duluth, GA
$298
Playa del Carmen
$200 32.7% $97
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Duluth, GA
$266
Playa del Carmen
$137 48.5% $129
Clothing & Footwear
Duluth, GA
$140
Playa del Carmen
$112 20.1% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Duluth, GA
$34 *
Playa del Carmen
$72 115% $39
Getting Around
Duluth, GA
$21 *
Playa del Carmen
$52 144% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

Duluth, GA pays 463% 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: $88.0 in Duluth, GA vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $396 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Duluth, GA
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
00:29 12:29 AM
23:29 11:29 PM
1 h behind Duluth, GA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
86,265
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Duluth, GA Playa del Carmen 1,510 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Duluth, GA
  • 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
Duluth, GA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Duluth, GA and in Playa del Carmen?
Duluth, GA and Playa del Carmen differ by about 119% in total monthly costs ($2,637 vs $1,204 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Duluth, GA or Playa del Carmen?
Average pay runs 463% higher in Duluth, GA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Duluth, GA and Playa del Carmen?
Childcare runs $1,223 in Duluth, GA versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $88.0 in Duluth, GA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,637 in Duluth, GA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Duluth, GA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Duluth, GA and Playa del Carmen?
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.
Where should expats move: Duluth, GA or Playa del Carmen?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 119% less than in Duluth, GA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Duluth, GA vs other spots: cost of living compared

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