Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Idaho Falls, ID and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,315 in Idaho Falls, ID, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Idaho Falls, ID
Learn more

Idaho Falls, ID Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Idaho Falls, ID

🇺🇸 United States

$2,315

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,315 per month in Idaho Falls, ID vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Idaho Falls, ID $2,315
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,380 per month in Idaho Falls, ID vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Idaho Falls, ID $3,380
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,446 per month in Idaho Falls, ID vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Idaho Falls, ID $4,446
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Idaho Falls, ID costs about 92% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Idaho Falls, ID sits 70% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.72 $17.72

$10.92 MX$204

62.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.9 $51.9

$43.37 MX$808

19.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.09 $10.09

$11.78 MX$220

-14.35%

Cappuccino

$5.02 $5.02

$3.81 MX$71.0

31.76%

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

$2.27 $2.27

$1.28 MX$23.90

77.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 $1.55

$0.78 MX$14.59

98.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.11 $4.11

$3.17 MX$59.0

29.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 $7.10

$4.93 MX$92.0

44.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.41 MX$26.22

-48.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.22 MX$41.33

76.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.42 MX$26.42

109.15%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$2.52 MX$47.03

63.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.68 $11.68

$7.26 MX$135

60.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$7.70 MX$143

-16.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.79 $9.79

$12.69 MX$237

-22.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.78 MX$51.9

-21.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.37 MX$25.50

-8.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.55 MX$47.55

-18.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.12 MX$39.58

0.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.94 MX$36.13

-13.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.89 MX$35.16

30.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.15 MX$21.37

61.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.18 MX$21.98

59.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.36 $10.36

$4.30 MX$80.1

140.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.34 $7.34

$9.95 MX$185

-26.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.58 MX$29.52

12.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.67 MX$49.79

-42.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$0.55 MX$10.31

454.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 $2.53

$4.97 MX$92.6

-49.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.33 MX$62.1

-29.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.09 $25.09

$5.36 MX$99.8

368.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.44 MX$26.92

-22.92%

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

$34.3K $34.3K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

65.89%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

11.43%

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

$173 $173

$84.8 MX$1,581

103.69%

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

$52.7 $52.7

$23.41 MX$436

125.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.9 $63.9

$28.66 MX$534

122.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.67 $38.67

$57.1 MX$1,063

-32.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 $11.42

$5.14 MX$95.8

122.18%

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

$957 $957

$207 MX$3,851

363.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K $20.6K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

425.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.75 $41.75

$43.35 MX$808

-3.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.87 $44.87

$41.44 MX$772

8.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.2 $70.2

$74.2 MX$1,383

-5.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 $96.4

$89.3 MX$1,664

7.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,323 $1,323

$980 MX$18.3K

35.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 $1,266

$381 MX$7,099

232.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,073 $2,073

$1,708 MX$31.8K

21.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 $2,207

$1,075 MX$20.0K

105.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,923 $1,923

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-51.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,946 $1,946

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-68.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,499 $3,499

$735 MX$13.7K

376.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.12

11.45

-46.55%

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

Last update for Idaho Falls, ID: October 24, 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

Idaho Falls, ID

$1.3K 54.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 69.9% $885

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Idaho Falls, ID

$289 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 52.7% $152

Eating Out

Idaho Falls, ID

$282 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 28.3% $80

Groceries & Markets

Idaho Falls, ID

$275 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 7.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Idaho Falls, ID

$114 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 2% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Idaho Falls, ID

$62 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 9.5% $5.8

Getting Around

Idaho Falls, ID

$26 * 1.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 90.7% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,323 in Idaho Falls, ID versus $980 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 in Idaho Falls, ID are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Idaho Falls, ID versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Idaho Falls, ID

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:07 12:07 PM

13:07 1:07 PM

1 h ahead of Idaho Falls, ID

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,459

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Idaho Falls, ID Playa del Carmen 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Idaho Falls, ID
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

Idaho Falls, ID vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Idaho Falls, ID is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,472 per month in Idaho Falls, ID 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,323 in Idaho Falls, ID.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,315 in Idaho Falls, ID and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 92%.

Kindergarten costs $957 per month in Idaho Falls, ID and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Idaho Falls, ID at $2,315. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Idaho Falls, ID it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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