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

😐 Solo nomad: Houston, TX is 34% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 104.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Houston, TX is 80.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 77% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Houston, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.39 $20.39
$11.99 MX$227
70.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.3 $79.3
$42.47 MX$803
86.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.16 $10.16
$10.47 MX$198
-2.96%
Cappuccino
$5.34 $5.34
$3.6 MX$68.2
48.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 $2.86
$1.44 MX$27.16
98.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 $2.21
$0.89 MX$16.79
148.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.12 $6.12
$3.09 MX$58.5
98.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.85 $6.85
$4.58 MX$86.6
49.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Houston, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.88 $0.88
$1.38 MX$26.04
-36.23%
White Bread (500g)
$3.11 $3.11
$1.85 MX$34.9
68.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.41 $3.41
$1.57 MX$29.68
117.20%
Eggs
$4.05 $4.05
$2.55 MX$48.3
58.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 $12.94
$8.61 MX$163
50.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.07 $12.07
$8.54 MX$161
41.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.05 $17.05
$10.98 MX$208
55.28%
Apples (1kg)
$4.25 $4.25
$2.72 MX$51.4
56.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.4 $1.4
$1.51 MX$28.57
-7.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.03 $4.03
$1.88 MX$35.63
114.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.49 $2.49
$2.19 MX$41.42
13.70%
Potato (1kg)
$2.88 $2.88
$1.87 MX$35.3
54.01%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 $2.29
$2.19 MX$41.37
4.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.81 $1.81
$1.07 MX$20.23
69.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.23 $2.23
$1.09 MX$20.64
104.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.83 $9.83
$3.96 MX$74.9
148.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.24 $12.24
$8.86 MX$167
38.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 $1.96
$1.72 MX$32.53
13.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 $3.83
$2.61 MX$49.37
46.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Houston, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.29 $1.29
$0.52 MX$9.74
148.08%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$74.4 $74.4
$26.59 MX$503
179.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 $3.99
$3.24 MX$61.2
23.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.89 $1.89
$2.38 MX$44.94
-20.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.44 $29.44
$3.11 MX$58.7
846.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.79 $0.79
$1.31 MX$24.85
-39.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.6K $32.6K
$30.3K MX$573K
7.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K $25.5K
$24K MX$453.6K
6.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Houston, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$198 $198
$84.2 MX$1,592
135.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$63 $63
$22.14 MX$419
184.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$66.4 $66.4
$30.14 MX$570
120.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Houston, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.34 $39.34
$52 MX$983
-24.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.85 $10.85
$18.72 MX$354
-42.04%
Cinema Ticket
$14.88 $14.88
$5.07 MX$95.9
193.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Houston, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,272 $1,272
$200 MX$3,787
535.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.1K $19.1K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
258.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Houston, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.43 $46.43
$35.74 MX$676
29.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.46 $43.46
$39.8 MX$753
9.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.1 $99.1
$79 MX$1,493
25.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 $125
$88.4 MX$1,671
41.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Houston, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,661 $1,661
$965 MX$18.3K
72.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,276 $1,276
$474 MX$8,968
169.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,167 $3,167
$1,653 MX$31.2K
91.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,450 $2,450
$1,202 MX$22.7K
103.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,534 $2,534
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-17.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,912 $1,912
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-74.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Houston, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,591 $4,591
$792 MX$15K
479.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.44
11.42
-43.61%

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

Last update for Houston, TX: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.