Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glendale, AZ and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,173 in Glendale, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Glendale, AZ
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Glendale, AZ Living Index
59

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

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Glendale, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,173

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,173 per month in Glendale, AZ vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Glendale, AZ $2,173
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,425 per month in Glendale, AZ vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Glendale, AZ $3,425
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,676 per month in Glendale, AZ vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Glendale, AZ $4,676
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Glendale, AZ costs about 80% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Glendale, AZ sits 61% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.13 $15.13

$10.76 MX$199

40.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 $62.1

$43.03 MX$795

44.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.45 $12.45

$11.79 MX$218

5.60%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$3.87 MX$71.4

39.02%

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

$2.17 $2.17

$1.37 MX$25.29

58.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.84 MX$15.44

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.11 $7.11

$3.10 MX$57.3

129.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.21 $7.21

$5.07 MX$93.6

42.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.44 MX$26.55

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.23 MX$41.23

45.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$1.47 MX$27.17

247.62%

Eggs

$4.54 $4.54

$2.53 MX$46.71

79.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.36 $13.36

$7.30 MX$135

83.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.27 $11.27

$7.86 MX$145

43.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.92 $16.92

$12.79 MX$236

32.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.90 MX$53.6

57.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.44 MX$26.53

29.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.55 MX$47.07

54.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.06 MX$38.03

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.00 MX$36.97

22.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.01 MX$37.07

44.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.19 MX$22.02

78.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.26 MX$23.23

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.47 $10.47

$4.40 MX$81.4

137.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 $13.35

$9.59 MX$177

39.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.59 MX$29.41

11.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.81 MX$51.9

33.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.57 MX$10.47

257.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 $2.72

$4.98 MX$92.1

-45.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$3.50 MX$64.6

-61.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.46 $35.46

$5.40 MX$99.8

556.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.47 MX$27.08

-30.61%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

72.02%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

8.54%

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

$194 $194

$84.2 MX$1,556

130.72%

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

$48.28 $48.28

$23.99 MX$443

101.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.4 $66.4

$29.02 MX$536

128.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.52 $34.52

$63.0 MX$1,164

-45.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$9.95 $9.95

$4.94 MX$91.3

101.42%

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

$1,089 $1,089

$204 MX$3,763

434.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K $15.8K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

300.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 $54.3

$43.60 MX$806

24.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.94 $42.94

$43.12 MX$797

-0.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 $88.2

$75.8 MX$1,400

16.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$88.6 MX$1,637

16.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 $1,360

$1,008 MX$18.6K

34.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$985 $985

$374 MX$6,911

163.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,469 $2,469

$1,708 MX$31.6K

44.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,105 $2,105

$1,106 MX$20.4K

90.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,716 $3,716

$754 MX$13.9K

392.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.23

11.45

-45.59%

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

Last update for Glendale, AZ: October 10, 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

Glendale, AZ

$985 45.3%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 62% $611

Groceries & Markets

Glendale, AZ

$388 17.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 33.4% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glendale, AZ

$309 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 55.6% $172

Eating Out

Glendale, AZ

$289 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 30.1% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Glendale, AZ

$130 6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 13% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Glendale, AZ

$54 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 33.9% $18

Getting Around

Glendale, AZ

$18 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 199% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,360 in Glendale, AZ 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 393% higher in Glendale, AZ, 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 $62.0 in Glendale, AZ versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Glendale, AZ

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:18 12:18 PM

14:18 2:18 PM

2 h ahead of Glendale, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,831

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Glendale, AZ Playa del Carmen 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Glendale, AZ
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

Glendale, AZ vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Glendale, AZ costs about 80% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,260 per month in Glendale, AZ 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Glendale, AZ and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Glendale, AZ, 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 Glendale, AZ at $2,173. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Glendale, AZ it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $2,173 in Glendale, AZ. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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