Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fall River, MA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,694 in Fall River, MA, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Fall River, MA
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Fall River, MA Living Index
57

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

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Fall River, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,694

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,694 in Fall River, MA versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Fall River, MA $2,694
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,832 in Fall River, MA versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Fall River, MA $3,832
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,970 in Fall River, MA versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Fall River, MA $4,970
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Fall River, MA is roughly 124% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fall River, MA is 99% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.29 $18.29

$10.67 MX$201

71.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.8 $90.8

$43.80 MX$824

107.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.01 $12.01

$11.79 MX$222

1.87%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$3.79 MX$71.2

36.41%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$1.30 MX$24.41

123.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.83 MX$15.69

173.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 $4.95

$3.15 MX$59.2

57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 $8.07

$4.93 MX$92.9

63.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.41 MX$26.51

-26.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.20 MX$41.32

78.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$1.47 MX$27.71

274.83%

Eggs

$5.45 $5.45

$2.50 MX$46.99

118.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.90 $15.90

$7.29 MX$137

118.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.35 $14.35

$7.95 MX$150

80.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.29 $17.29

$12.86 MX$242

34.45%

Apples (1kg)

$6.54 $6.54

$2.90 MX$54.5

125.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.38 MX$26.03

28.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.53 $5.53

$2.49 MX$46.88

122.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.03 MX$38.20

168.47%

Potato (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.02 MX$38.11

121.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.90 MX$35.82

1.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.14 MX$21.54

107.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.24 MX$23.32

114.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.01 $13.01

$4.27 MX$80.4

204.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 $13.75

$9.81 MX$185

40.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.59 MX$29.85

29.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.75 MX$51.7

40.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 $2.58

$4.76 MX$89.6

-45.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$3.25 MX$61.1

-47.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.03 $28.03

$5.39 MX$101

420.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.53 MX$28.76

-27.45%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$21.2K MX$399.2K

28.87%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.3K MX$437.8K

12.41%

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

$235 $235

$83.5 MX$1,571

181.61%

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

$55.5 $55.5

$23.19 MX$436

139.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.6 $79.6

$27.61 MX$520

188.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.41 $27.41

$56.4 MX$1,062

-51.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.02 $30.02

$28.19 MX$531

6.49%

Cinema Ticket

$16.17 $16.17

$5.00 MX$94.1

223.40%

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

$1,811 $1,811

$207 MX$3,897

774.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.6K $44.6K

$5,231 MX$98.4K

752.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 $56.8

$43.45 MX$818

30.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.42 $38.42

$42.54 MX$801

-9.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$72.8 MX$1,369

55.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$88.4 MX$1,663

15.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 $1,157

$995 MX$18.7K

16.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,345 $1,345

$382 MX$7,197

251.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 $1,887

$1,674 MX$31.5K

12.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,931 $1,931

$1,081 MX$20.3K

78.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,834 $2,834

$3,909 MX$73.6K

-27.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,788 $2,788

$6,138 MX$115.5K

-54.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,317 $3,317

$832 MX$15.7K

298.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

11.45

-40.17%

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

Last update for Fall River, MA: November 3, 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

Fall River, MA

$1.3K 50%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 71.6% $963

Groceries & Markets

Fall River, MA

$461 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 44.2% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fall River, MA

$370 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 63.7% $236

Eating Out

Fall River, MA

$306 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 34.5% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Fall River, MA

$140 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 20.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Fall River, MA

$60 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 11.2% $6.7

Getting Around

Fall River, MA

$11 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 351% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,157 in Fall River, MA and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fall River, MA pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $91 in Fall River, MA vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $461 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fall River, MA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:47 11:47 AM

Same time as Fall River, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,857

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fall River, MA Playa del Carmen 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Fall River, MA
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

Fall River, MA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Fall River, MA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Fall River, MA is about 4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,157 in Fall River, MA versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Fall River, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,694 per month in Fall River, MA versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,694 in Fall River, MA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Fall River, MA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Fall River, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.