Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jackson, TN and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,209 in Jackson, TN, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Jackson, TN
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Jackson, TN Living Index
57

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

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Jackson, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,209

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,209 per month in Jackson, TN vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Jackson, TN $2,209
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,140 per month in Jackson, TN vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Jackson, TN $3,140
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,071 per month in Jackson, TN vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Jackson, TN $4,071
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Jackson, TN costs about 84% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Jackson, TN sits 63% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 $17.20

$10.67 MX$199

61.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.11 $49.11

$43.80 MX$815

12.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.45 $10.45

$11.79 MX$219

-11.37%

Cappuccino

$5.07 $5.07

$3.79 MX$70.5

33.77%

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

$2.44 $2.44

$1.30 MX$24.14

87.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.83 MX$15.51

120.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.15 MX$58.6

26.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 $4.90

$4.93 MX$91.8

-0.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.41 MX$26.22

-41.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.20 MX$40.86

43.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.47 MX$27.40

78.23%

Eggs

$4.31 $4.31

$2.50 MX$46.46

72.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.44 $9.44

$7.29 MX$136

29.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 $10.25

$7.95 MX$148

28.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.01 $15.01

$12.86 MX$239

16.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.90 MX$53.9

34.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.38 MX$25.74

-1.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.49 MX$46.35

8.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.03 MX$37.77

51.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$2.02 MX$37.68

-13.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.90 MX$35.42

19.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.14 MX$21.30

63.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.24 MX$23.05

54.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.26 $8.26

$4.27 MX$79.5

93.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.81 $12.81

$9.81 MX$183

30.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.59 MX$29.51

8.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.75 MX$51.1

-26.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 $1.26

$0.51 MX$9.58

147.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.36 $34.36

$27.39 MX$510

25.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 $1.96

$4.76 MX$88.6

-58.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 $1.25

$3.25 MX$60.5

-61.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.19 $20.19

$5.39 MX$100

274.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.53 MX$28.44

-41.18%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

43.18%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

8.62%

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

$170 $170

$83.5 MX$1,554

103.02%

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

$65.6 $65.6

$23.19 MX$431

182.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.6 $72.6

$27.61 MX$514

162.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.6 $50.6

$56.4 MX$1,050

-10.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.8 $50.8

$28.19 MX$525

80.03%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 $11.21

$5.00 MX$93.1

124.20%

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

$1,116 $1,116

$207 MX$3,854

438.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K $14.7K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

180.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 $50.5

$43.45 MX$809

16.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.72 $36.72

$42.54 MX$792

-13.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 $64.4

$72.8 MX$1,354

-11.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.2 $98.2

$88.4 MX$1,645

11.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 $1,206

$995 MX$18.5K

21.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,067 $1,067

$382 MX$7,116

178.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 $1,630

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-2.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 $1,602

$1,081 MX$20.1K

48.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,719 $1,719

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-56.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,714 $1,714

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-72.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,206 $4,206

$832 MX$15.5K

405.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

11.45

-42.97%

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

Last update for Jackson, TN: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jackson, TN

$1.1K 48.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 64.2% $684

Groceries & Markets

Jackson, TN

$324 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 20.6% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jackson, TN

$308 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 56.4% $173

Eating Out

Jackson, TN

$277 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 27.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Jackson, TN

$112 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 1.1% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Jackson, TN

$73 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 9% $6.6

Getting Around

Jackson, TN

$48 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 5.9% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,206 in Jackson, TN versus $995 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 Jackson, TN are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Jackson, TN versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jackson, TN

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

08:18 8:18 AM

1 h ahead of Jackson, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,701

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jackson, TN Playa del Carmen 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Jackson, TN
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

Jackson, TN vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,209 in Jackson, TN, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 46% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,313 per month in Jackson, TN and $1,804 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 $995 there versus $1,206 in Jackson, TN.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Jackson, TN, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Jackson, TN and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Jackson, TN at $2,209. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jackson, TN 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jackson, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.