Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Paso, TX and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,120 in El Paso, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in El Paso, TX
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El Paso, TX Living Index
58

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

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El Paso, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,120

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,120 per month in El Paso, TX vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

El Paso, TX $2,120
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,183 per month in El Paso, TX vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

El Paso, TX $3,183
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,246 per month in El Paso, TX vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

El Paso, TX $4,246
Playa del Carmen $2,959

El Paso, TX costs about 76% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

El Paso, TX sits 56% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.60 $18.60

$10.92 MX$205

70.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 $78.2

$43.37 MX$815

80.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 $12.23

$11.78 MX$221

3.82%

Cappuccino

$6.11 $6.11

$3.81 MX$71.6

60.37%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$1.28 MX$24.10

85.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$0.78 MX$14.71

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.82 $5.82

$3.17 MX$59.5

83.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 $6.84

$4.93 MX$92.7

38.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.41 MX$26.43

-38.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.22 MX$41.66

35.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.42 MX$26.64

73.94%

Eggs

$3.60 $3.60

$2.52 MX$47.41

42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.11 $12.11

$7.26 MX$137

66.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.74 $11.74

$7.70 MX$145

52.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.03 $13.03

$12.69 MX$239

2.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.78 MX$52.3

26.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.37 MX$25.71

6.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.55 MX$47.94

2.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.12 MX$39.90

67.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.94 MX$36.43

11.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.89 MX$35.44

49.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.15 MX$21.55

53.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.18 MX$22.16

33.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.86 $9.86

$4.30 MX$80.7

129.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.78 $9.78

$9.95 MX$187

-1.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.58 MX$29.76

27.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.67 MX$50.2

84.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.55 MX$10.40

176.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.34 $48.34

$26.62 MX$500

81.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 $1.67

$4.97 MX$93.4

-66.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$3.33 MX$62.6

-58.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.43 $27.43

$5.36 MX$101

411.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.44 MX$27.14

-36.81%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

33.42%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

9.64%

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

$162 $162

$84.8 MX$1,594

90.64%

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

$72.6 $72.6

$23.41 MX$440

209.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 $67.4

$28.66 MX$539

135.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.51 $17.51

$57.1 MX$1,072

-69.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.44 $8.44

$28.91 MX$543

-70.81%

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 $12.15

$5.14 MX$96.6

136.38%

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

$689 $689

$207 MX$3,882

233.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,862 $6,862

$3,927 MX$73.8K

74.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.41 $46.41

$43.35 MX$815

7.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 $35.88

$41.44 MX$779

-13.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$74.2 MX$1,394

39.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 $178

$89.3 MX$1,677

99.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 $1,050

$980 MX$18.4K

7.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 $904

$381 MX$7,157

137.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 $1,569

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-8.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 $1,497

$1,075 MX$20.2K

39.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,983 $1,983

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-49.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,681 $1,681

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-72.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,323 $3,323

$735 MX$13.8K

352.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.45

-43.14%

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

Last update for El Paso, TX: October 26, 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

El Paso, TX

$904 42.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 57.9% $523

Groceries & Markets

El Paso, TX

$329 15.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 22.6% $74

Eating Out

El Paso, TX

$317 15%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 36.2% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Paso, TX

$302 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 54.6% $165

Clothing & Footwear

El Paso, TX

$164 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 31.8% $52

Getting Around

El Paso, TX

$63 3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 19.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

El Paso, TX

$42 2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 61% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,050 in El Paso, TX versus $980 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 in El Paso, TX are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in El Paso, TX versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 El Paso, TX

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:07 9:07 PM

23:07 11:07 PM

2 h ahead of El Paso, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

678,815

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

El Paso, TX Playa del Carmen 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

El Paso, TX
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

El Paso, TX vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Paso, TX costs about 76% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,180 per month in El Paso, TX and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,050 in El Paso, TX and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,120 in El Paso, TX and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 43% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in El Paso, TX at $2,120. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in El Paso, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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