Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,625 in Garland, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Garland, TX
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Garland, TX Living Index
59

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

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Garland, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,625

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,625 per month in Garland, TX vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Garland, TX $2,625
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,796 per month in Garland, TX vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Garland, TX $3,796
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,967 per month in Garland, TX vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Garland, TX $4,967
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Garland, TX costs about 117% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Garland, TX sits 94% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.85 $19.85

$10.76 MX$199

84.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.4 $54.4

$43.03 MX$795

26.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.83 $9.83

$11.79 MX$218

-16.62%

Cappuccino

$5.52 $5.52

$3.87 MX$71.4

42.64%

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

$2.58 $2.58

$1.37 MX$25.29

88.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.84 MX$15.44

177.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 $5.40

$3.10 MX$57.3

74.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.65 $7.65

$5.07 MX$93.6

50.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.44 MX$26.55

-35.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.23 MX$41.23

69.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$1.47 MX$27.17

259.86%

Eggs

$4.62 $4.62

$2.53 MX$46.71

82.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.56 $7.56

$7.30 MX$135

3.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.71 $11.71

$7.86 MX$145

48.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.20 $19.20

$12.79 MX$236

50.12%

Apples (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.90 MX$53.6

88.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.44 MX$26.53

-10.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.55 MX$47.07

100.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.06 MX$38.03

103.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.00 MX$36.97

0.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.01 MX$37.07

5.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.19 MX$22.02

74.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.26 MX$23.23

15.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.70 $9.70

$4.40 MX$81.4

120.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.17 $11.17

$9.59 MX$177

16.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.59 MX$29.41

30.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.81 MX$51.9

19.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.57 MX$10.47

429.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 $96.4

$27.82 MX$514

246.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$4.98 MX$92.1

-38.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 $1.75

$3.50 MX$64.6

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.19 $24.19

$5.40 MX$99.8

347.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.47 MX$27.08

-38.10%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

71.85%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

8.21%

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

$201 $201

$84.2 MX$1,556

138.71%

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

$54.0 $54.0

$23.99 MX$443

125.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.3 $80.3

$29.02 MX$536

176.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.47 $39.47

$63.0 MX$1,164

-37.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.76 $16.76

$29.14 MX$539

-42.48%

Cinema Ticket

$14.80 $14.80

$4.94 MX$91.3

199.60%

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

$1,348 $1,348

$204 MX$3,763

561.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K $28.3K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

619.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 $59.8

$43.60 MX$806

37.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 $29.10

$43.12 MX$797

-32.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 $87.4

$75.8 MX$1,400

15.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$88.6 MX$1,637

37.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 $1,494

$1,008 MX$18.6K

48.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$374 MX$6,911

240.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,295 $2,295

$1,708 MX$31.6K

34.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,090 $2,090

$1,106 MX$20.4K

88.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,247 $3,247

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-17.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 $1,942

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-68.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,670 $3,670

$754 MX$13.9K

386.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

11.45

-42.18%

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

Last update for Garland, TX: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Garland, TX

$1.3K 48.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 70.6% $898

Groceries & Markets

Garland, TX

$377 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 31.5% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Garland, TX

$335 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 59.1% $198

Eating Out

Garland, TX

$317 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 36.1% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Garland, TX

$134 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 15.8% $21

Getting Around

Garland, TX

$120 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 56.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Garland, TX

$69 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 5.5% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,494 in Garland, TX versus $1,008 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 run about 387% higher in Garland, TX, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54.0 in Garland, TX versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $377 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Garland, TX

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

Same time as Garland, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,035

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Garland, TX Playa del Carmen 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Garland, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,625 in Garland, TX, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 117% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,938 per month in Garland, TX and $1,816 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,348 per month in Garland, TX and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Garland, TX, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Garland, TX at $2,625. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Garland, TX 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 $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $2,625 in Garland, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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