Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Iowa City, IA is 39.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 80.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Iowa City, IA is 38.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 40.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.77 $14.77

$11.73 MX$222

25.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 $74.6

$41.52 MX$785

79.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 $8.74

$10.57 MX$200

-17.31%

Cappuccino

$5.27 $5.27

$3.49 MX$65.9

51.00%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$1.45 MX$27.33

69.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.8 $1.8

$0.97 MX$18.33

85.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.9 $4.9

$3.03 MX$57.2

61.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 $6.84

$4.59 MX$86.8

49.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.42 MX$26.87

-38.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.87 MX$35.43

40.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$1.54 MX$29.2

213.64%

Eggs

$4.06 $4.06

$2.6 MX$49.21

56.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.47 $9.47

$8.32 MX$157

13.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.59 $10.59

$8.54 MX$161

24.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.69 $16.69

$10.67 MX$202

56.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.66 MX$50.2

24.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.51 MX$28.5

-23.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.9 MX$35.87

42.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.19 MX$41.45

115.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.78 MX$33.7

11.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.17 MX$41.05

28.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.07 MX$20.14

89.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.09 MX$20.53

87.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.73 $8.73

$4.17 MX$78.8

109.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.85 $11.85

$8.75 MX$165

35.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.69 MX$31.91

-0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.7 $4.7

$2.53 MX$47.74

85.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.51 MX$9.59

301.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.82 $15.82

$26.97 MX$510

-41.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.25 MX$61.4

34.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.49 MX$47.01

-11.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.03 $42.03

$3.22 MX$60.8

1205.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.26 MX$23.87

-32.54%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$29.8K MX$564.1K

-14.60%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.4K MX$442.5K

9.80%

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

$221 $221

$84.2 MX$1,592

162.95%

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

$51.6 $51.6

$22.8 MX$431

126.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.6 $75.6

$30.04 MX$568

151.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.58 $48.58

$51.4 MX$972

-5.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.17 $20.17

$18.28 MX$346

10.34%

Cinema Ticket

$12.09 $12.09

$4.97 MX$94.1

143.26%

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

$1,250 $1,250

$197 MX$3,719

535.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K $24.4K

$5,254 MX$99.3K

365.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 $66.9

$35.81 MX$677

86.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.23 $48.23

$39.43 MX$745

22.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 $99.2

$80.9 MX$1,529

22.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$86.3 MX$1,631

31.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,248 $1,248

$968 MX$18.3K

28.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,080 $1,080

$478 MX$9,037

125.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,428 $2,428

$1,631 MX$30.8K

48.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,540 $1,540

$1,197 MX$22.6K

28.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,775 $3,775

$3,137 MX$59.3K

20.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,799 $1,799

$7,586 MX$143.4K

-76.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,809 $3,809

$805 MX$15.2K

373.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

11.42

-43.70%

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

Last update for Iowa City, IA: November 5, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2025

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