Cost of Living Comparison Between Elgin, IL and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Elgin, IL and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Elgin, IL is 25.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 89.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Elgin, IL is 18.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 52.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Elgin, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.70 $14.70
$11.85 MX$210
24.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.9 $59.9
$42.16 MX$746
42.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.14 $10.14
$10.75 MX$190
-5.67%
Cappuccino
$3.92 $3.92
$3.47 MX$61.5
12.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 $2.63
$1.45 MX$25.72
81.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 $2.06
$0.90 MX$15.98
128.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.91 $5.91
$3.05 MX$54.1
93.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.92 $4.92
$4.42 MX$78.2
11.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Elgin, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.73 $0.73
$1.37 MX$24.24
-46.72%
White Bread (500g)
$3.80 $3.80
$1.87 MX$33.14
103.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.29 $5.29
$1.54 MX$27.32
243.51%
Eggs
$4.08 $4.08
$2.50 MX$44.31
63.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.17 $11.17
$8.61 MX$152
29.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.41 $13.41
$8.63 MX$153
55.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.99 $10.99
$11.02 MX$195
-0.27%
Apples (1kg)
$2.24 $2.24
$2.75 MX$48.67
-18.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.12 $1.12
$1.43 MX$25.28
-21.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.70 $1.70
$1.87 MX$33.15
-9.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.74 $2.74
$2.17 MX$38.37
26.27%
Potato (1kg)
$2.67 $2.67
$1.88 MX$33.33
42.02%
Onion (1kg)
$3.02 $3.02
$2.25 MX$39.76
34.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.94 $1.94
$1.07 MX$18.90
81.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.03 $2.03
$1.07 MX$19.00
89.72%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.10 $10.10
$4.15 MX$73.5
143.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.88 $15.88
$10.34 MX$183
53.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 $2.40
$1.68 MX$29.72
42.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.89 $4.89
$2.48 MX$43.97
97.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Elgin, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.03 $2.03
$0.55 MX$9.82
269.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.53 MX$470
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.42 $4.42
$3.22 MX$56.9
37.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.14 $2.14
$2.48 MX$43.93
-13.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.52 $28.52
$3.11 MX$55.0
817.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.89 $0.89
$1.26 MX$22.22
-29.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.9K $24.9K
$30.7K MX$542.7K
-18.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.3K $25.3K
$24.0K MX$425.5K
5.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Elgin, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.4 $99.4
$82.5 MX$1,460
20.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$51.3 $51.3
$22.29 MX$394
130.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.1 $50.1
$30.02 MX$531
66.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Elgin, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.04 $43.04
$51.4 MX$911
-16.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.29 MX$324
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.77 $14.77
$4.98 MX$88.2
196.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Elgin, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,659 $1,659
$200 MX$3,540
729.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.0K $25.0K
$5,304 MX$93.9K
371.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Elgin, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.35 $39.35
$35.71 MX$632
10.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.63 $48.63
$39.56 MX$700
22.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 $99.7
$80.6 MX$1,426
23.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$132 $132
$88.3 MX$1,563
49.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Elgin, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,630 $1,630
$969 MX$17.2K
68.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,346 $1,346
$482 MX$8,535
179.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,638 $2,638
$1,595 MX$28.2K
65.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,224 $2,224
$1,184 MX$21.0K
87.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,675 $2,675
$4,050 MX$71.7K
-33.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,399 $2,399
$6,522 MX$115.4K
-63.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Elgin, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,966 $3,966
$756 MX$13.4K
424.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.55
11.42
-42.64%

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

Last update for Elgin, IL: March 1, 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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