Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Highland, CA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,680 in Highland, CA, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Highland, CA
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Highland, CA Living Index
59

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

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Highland, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,680

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,680 per month in Highland, CA vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Highland, CA $2,680
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,015 per month in Highland, CA vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Highland, CA $4,015
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $5,349 per month in Highland, CA vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Highland, CA $5,349
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Highland, CA costs about 123% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Highland, CA sits 98% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.04 $25.04

$10.86 MX$201

130.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.1 $78.1

$44.21 MX$817

76.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.14 $15.14

$11.76 MX$217

28.74%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$3.68 MX$68.0

53.53%

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

$3.08 $3.08

$1.34 MX$24.79

129.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.82 MX$15.24

198.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.19 $7.19

$3.06 MX$56.6

134.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.03 $10.03

$4.94 MX$91.2

103.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.47 MX$27.17

-8.84%

White Bread (500g)

$4.69 $4.69

$2.22 MX$40.95

111.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.48 MX$27.32

207.43%

Eggs

$5.29 $5.29

$2.49 MX$45.99

112.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.57 $11.57

$7.52 MX$139

53.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 $9.05

$7.96 MX$147

13.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$12.57 MX$232

55.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.78 MX$51.3

69.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.43 MX$26.37

55.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.62 MX$48.37

53.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.14 MX$39.49

154.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.02 MX$37.38

68.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.99 MX$36.74

46.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.14 MX$21.01

70.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.20 MX$22.18

107.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.72 $11.72

$4.26 MX$78.7

175.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$10.02 MX$185

47.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.54 MX$28.41

61.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.66 MX$49.17

4.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.53 MX$9.73

281.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.83 $29.83

$27.51 MX$508

8.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$4.90 MX$90.6

-37.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$3.43 MX$63.5

-44.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.72 $31.72

$5.38 MX$99.4

489.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.45 MX$26.76

7.59%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

34.23%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

14.04%

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

$221 $221

$85.4 MX$1,577

159.16%

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

$77.6 $77.6

$23.46 MX$434

230.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.7 $78.7

$28.43 MX$525

176.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.95 $40.95

$62.2 MX$1,149

-34.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$18.20 $18.20

$5.10 MX$94.3

256.86%

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

$1,162 $1,162

$201 MX$3,715

477.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K $31.8K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

706.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 $62.8

$44.39 MX$820

41.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.18 $47.18

$41.35 MX$764

14.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$72.7 MX$1,344

46.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$89.6 MX$1,656

16.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,489 $1,489

$979 MX$18.1K

52.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 $1,219

$373 MX$6,887

227.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,331 $2,331

$1,681 MX$31.1K

38.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,167 $2,167

$1,095 MX$20.2K

97.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,106 $3,106

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-21.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,390 $2,390

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-61.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

11.45

-44.89%

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

Last update for Highland, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Highland, CA

$1.2K 45.5%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 69.4% $847

Groceries & Markets

Highland, CA

$420 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 38.5% $161

Eating Out

Highland, CA

$392 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 48.9% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Highland, CA

$377 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 63.6% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Highland, CA

$144 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 22.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Highland, CA

$77 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 6.4% $4.9

Getting Around

Highland, CA

$50 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 2.6% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,489 in Highland, CA versus $979 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Highland, CA versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $420 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Highland, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

08:24 8:24 AM

2 h ahead of Highland, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,550

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 →

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Between locations

Highland, CA Playa del Carmen 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Highland, CA
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

Highland, CA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,680 in Highland, CA, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 123% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,021 per month in Highland, CA and $1,806 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 $78.0 in Highland, CA and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,680 in Highland, CA and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 123%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Highland, CA at $2,680. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Highland, CA 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,680 in Highland, CA. 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, Highland, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.