Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Emporia, KS and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,561 in Emporia, KS, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Emporia, KS
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Emporia, KS Living Index
57

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

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Emporia, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,561

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,561 per month in Emporia, KS vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Emporia, KS $1,561
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,485 per month in Emporia, KS vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Emporia, KS $2,485
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,409 per month in Emporia, KS vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Emporia, KS $3,409
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Emporia, KS costs about 30% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Emporia, KS sits 15% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.81 $15.81

$10.67 MX$199

48.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 $74.4

$43.80 MX$815

69.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 $11.79

$11.79 MX$219

Cappuccino

$4.47 $4.47

$3.79 MX$70.5

17.94%

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

$2.28 $2.28

$1.30 MX$24.14

75.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$0.83 MX$15.51

103.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.15 MX$58.6

62.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 $6.02

$4.93 MX$91.8

22.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.41 MX$26.22

-32.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.20 MX$40.86

49.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.47 MX$27.40

33.33%

Eggs

$2.75 $2.75

$2.50 MX$46.46

10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 $8.27

$7.29 MX$136

13.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.67 $8.67

$7.95 MX$148

9.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.48 $14.48

$12.86 MX$239

12.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.90 MX$53.9

68.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.38 MX$25.74

-14.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.49 MX$46.35

9.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.03 MX$37.77

42.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.02 MX$37.68

-19.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.90 MX$35.42

42.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.14 MX$21.30

65.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.24 MX$23.05

89.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.79 $8.79

$4.27 MX$79.5

105.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.26 $9.26

$9.81 MX$183

-5.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.59 MX$29.51

12.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.75 MX$51.1

-7.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 $4.92

$4.76 MX$88.6

3.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$3.25 MX$60.5

-43.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.06 $35.06

$5.39 MX$100

550.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.53 MX$28.44

-43.14%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

29.75%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

13.28%

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

$144 $144

$83.5 MX$1,554

72.86%

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

$47.46 $47.46

$23.19 MX$431

104.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 $50.9

$27.61 MX$514

84.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.26 $44.26

$56.4 MX$1,050

-21.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$12.26 $12.26

$5.00 MX$93.1

145.20%

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

$834 $834

$207 MX$3,854

302.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,881 $8,881

$5,231 MX$97.3K

69.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.09 $47.09

$43.45 MX$809

8.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.72 $24.72

$42.54 MX$792

-41.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 $89.9

$72.8 MX$1,354

23.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 $85.6

$88.4 MX$1,645

-3.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 $678

$995 MX$18.5K

-31.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 $546

$382 MX$7,116

42.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 $1,719

$1,674 MX$31.2K

2.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 $1,085

$1,081 MX$20.1K

0.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,267 $1,267

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-67.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,259 $1,259

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-79.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,496 $5,496

$832 MX$15.5K

560.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

11.45

-44.37%

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

Last update for Emporia, KS: October 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Emporia, KS

$547 35%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 30% $164

Groceries & Markets

Emporia, KS

$308 19.8%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 16.5% $51

Eating Out

Emporia, KS

$269 17.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 25.5% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Emporia, KS

$243 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 44.7% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Emporia, KS

$111 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Emporia, KS

$69 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 3.4% $2.3

Getting Around

Emporia, KS

$14 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 257% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $678 in Emporia, KS versus $995 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 Emporia, KS are about 6.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Emporia, KS versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $308 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Emporia, KS

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

1 h ahead of Emporia, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,188

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Emporia, KS Playa del Carmen 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Emporia, KS
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

Emporia, KS vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Emporia, KS costs about 30% 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 $2,341 per month in Emporia, KS and $1,804 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 Emporia, KS, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $678 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Emporia, KS and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Emporia, KS, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Emporia, KS at $1,561. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Emporia, KS it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,561 in Emporia, KS. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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