Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frisco, TX and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,815 in Frisco, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Frisco, TX
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Frisco, 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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Frisco, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,815

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,815 in Frisco, TX versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Frisco, TX $2,815
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,225 in Frisco, TX versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Frisco, TX $4,225
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,634 in Frisco, TX versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Frisco, TX $5,634
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Frisco, TX is roughly 134% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Frisco, TX is 107% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.75 $14.75

$10.92 MX$204

35.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 $78.8

$43.37 MX$808

81.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 $11.03

$11.78 MX$220

-6.37%

Cappuccino

$5.28 $5.28

$3.81 MX$71.0

38.58%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$1.28 MX$23.90

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.78 MX$14.59

205.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.78 $6.78

$3.17 MX$59.0

113.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.11 $9.11

$4.93 MX$92.0

84.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.41 MX$26.22

-29.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.22 MX$41.33

58.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 $3.66

$1.42 MX$26.42

157.75%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$2.52 MX$47.03

63.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 $12.89

$7.26 MX$135

77.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.96 $10.96

$7.70 MX$143

42.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.20 $19.20

$12.69 MX$237

51.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.78 MX$51.9

72.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.37 MX$25.50

-1.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.55 MX$47.55

23.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.12 MX$39.58

88.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.94 MX$36.13

71.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.89 MX$35.16

51.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.15 MX$21.37

78.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.18 MX$21.98

114.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.01 $10.01

$4.30 MX$80.1

132.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.26 $14.26

$9.95 MX$185

43.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.58 MX$29.52

11.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.67 MX$49.79

22.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$0.55 MX$10.31

458.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$132 $132

$26.62 MX$496

395.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 $2.69

$4.97 MX$92.6

-45.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$3.33 MX$62.1

-61.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.94 $29.94

$5.36 MX$99.8

458.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.44 MX$26.92

-31.25%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

31.93%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

12.61%

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

$244 $244

$84.8 MX$1,581

187.32%

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

$66.2 $66.2

$23.41 MX$436

182.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.4 $64.4

$28.66 MX$534

124.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.14 $32.14

$57.1 MX$1,063

-43.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.76 $11.76

$28.91 MX$539

-59.32%

Cinema Ticket

$15.16 $15.16

$5.14 MX$95.8

194.94%

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

$1,557 $1,557

$207 MX$3,851

653.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

510.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 $54.0

$43.35 MX$808

24.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.07 $41.07

$41.44 MX$772

-0.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 $75.1

$74.2 MX$1,383

1.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$89.3 MX$1,664

56.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,776 $1,776

$980 MX$18.3K

81.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 $1,409

$381 MX$7,099

270.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,426 $3,426

$1,708 MX$31.8K

100.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,577 $2,577

$1,075 MX$20.0K

139.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,955 $2,955

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-25.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,132 $2,132

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-65.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,022 $7,022

$735 MX$13.7K

856.02%

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 Frisco, TX: October 25, 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

Frisco, TX

$1.4K 50.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 73% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Frisco, TX

$390 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 34.7% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frisco, TX

$374 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 63.4% $237

Eating Out

Frisco, TX

$286 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 29.3% $84

Getting Around

Frisco, TX

$153 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 67.1% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Frisco, TX

$139 5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 19.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Frisco, TX

$62 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 7.8% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,776 in Frisco, TX and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Frisco, TX pays about 9.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Frisco, TX vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Frisco, TX

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

Same time as Frisco, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

873,965

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Frisco, TX Playa del Carmen 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Frisco, 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

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

Frisco, TX and Playa del Carmen differ by about 134% in total monthly costs ($2,815 vs $1,204 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Frisco, TX is about 9.6 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: $1,776 in Frisco, TX versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Frisco, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $79 in Frisco, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,815 in Frisco, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Frisco, TX. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Frisco, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.