Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,625 in Houston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Houston, TX
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Houston, 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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Houston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,625

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,625 in Houston, TX versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Houston, TX $2,625
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,794 in Houston, TX versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Houston, TX $3,794
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,963 in Houston, TX versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Houston, TX $4,963
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Houston, TX is roughly 118% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Houston, TX is 93% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.40 $20.40

$10.92 MX$204

86.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 $75.1

$43.37 MX$810

73.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 $9.82

$11.78 MX$220

-16.64%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$3.81 MX$71.2

37.53%

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

$2.72 $2.72

$1.28 MX$23.96

112.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$0.78 MX$14.63

188.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.17 MX$59.2

94.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 $7.95

$4.93 MX$92.2

61.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.41 MX$26.28

-40.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.22 MX$41.43

45.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.42 MX$26.48

188.73%

Eggs

$3.25 $3.25

$2.52 MX$47.14

28.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.11 $11.11

$7.26 MX$136

53.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$7.70 MX$144

64.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.40 $16.40

$12.69 MX$237

29.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.78 MX$52.0

48.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.37 MX$25.56

7.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.55 MX$47.66

19.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.12 MX$39.67

73.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.94 MX$36.22

12.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.89 MX$35.24

43.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.15 MX$21.42

69.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.18 MX$22.03

111.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.09 $10.09

$4.30 MX$80.3

134.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.47 $14.47

$9.95 MX$186

45.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.58 MX$29.59

56.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.67 MX$49.91

8.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 $1.26

$0.55 MX$10.34

129.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.4 $74.4

$26.62 MX$497

179.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 $2.85

$4.97 MX$92.9

-42.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$3.33 MX$62.2

-55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.92 $23.92

$5.36 MX$100

346.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.44 MX$26.98

-32.64%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

66.59%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

12.44%

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

$198 $198

$84.8 MX$1,584

133.35%

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

$65.2 $65.2

$23.41 MX$437

178.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.3 $75.3

$28.66 MX$535

162.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.73 $35.73

$57.1 MX$1,066

-37.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.98 $20.98

$28.91 MX$540

-27.43%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 $15.06

$5.14 MX$96.0

193.00%

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

$1,901 $1,901

$207 MX$3,860

820.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K $22.1K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

463.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.81 $49.81

$43.35 MX$810

14.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.04 $47.04

$41.44 MX$774

13.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$74.2 MX$1,386

39.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 $94.0

$89.3 MX$1,668

5.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 $1,742

$980 MX$18.3K

77.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 $1,304

$381 MX$7,116

242.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,449 $3,449

$1,708 MX$31.9K

101.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 $2,057

$1,075 MX$20.1K

91.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,659 $2,659

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-32.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,785 $1,785

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-71.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,293 $4,293

$735 MX$13.7K

484.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

11.45

-41.48%

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

Last update for Houston, TX: October 27, 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

Houston, TX

$1.3K 49.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 70.8% $923

Groceries & Markets

Houston, TX

$373 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 31.7% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houston, TX

$338 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 59.6% $202

Eating Out

Houston, TX

$322 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 37.2% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Houston, TX

$132 5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 15.6% $21

Getting Around

Houston, TX

$90 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 43.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Houston, TX

$66 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 2.2% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,742 in Houston, TX and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houston, TX pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Houston, TX vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houston, TX

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

Same time as Houston, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,304,580

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Houston, TX Playa del Carmen 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Houston, 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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Houston, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Houston, TX is about 5.8 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: $1,742 in Houston, 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 46% higher in Houston, 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 $75 in Houston, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,625 in Houston, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Houston, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Houston, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.