Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Janesville, WI and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,656 in Janesville, WI, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Janesville, WI
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Janesville, WI Living Index
59

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

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Janesville, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,656

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,656 per month in Janesville, WI vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Janesville, WI $2,656
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,807 per month in Janesville, WI vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Janesville, WI $3,807
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,958 per month in Janesville, WI vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Janesville, WI $4,958
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Janesville, WI costs about 121% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Janesville, WI sits 96% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.60 $20.60

$10.86 MX$201

89.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.4 $88.4

$44.21 MX$817

100.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.10 $13.10

$11.76 MX$217

11.39%

Cappuccino

$5.82 $5.82

$3.68 MX$68.0

58.15%

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

$2.70 $2.70

$1.34 MX$24.79

101.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.82 MX$15.24

168.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.91 $6.91

$3.06 MX$56.6

125.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.04 $9.04

$4.94 MX$91.2

83.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.47 MX$27.17

-44.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.22 MX$40.95

-18.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$1.48 MX$27.32

260.14%

Eggs

$4.68 $4.68

$2.49 MX$45.99

87.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.03 $14.03

$7.52 MX$139

86.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.51 $14.51

$7.96 MX$147

82.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.27 $18.27

$12.57 MX$232

45.35%

Apples (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$2.78 MX$51.3

88.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.43 MX$26.37

33.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.62 MX$48.37

55.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.14 MX$39.49

124.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.02 MX$37.38

37.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.99 MX$36.74

36.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.14 MX$21.01

92.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.20 MX$22.18

149.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.02 $10.02

$4.26 MX$78.7

135.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 $15.16

$10.02 MX$185

51.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.54 MX$28.41

64.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.66 MX$49.17

30.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.53 MX$9.73

267.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 $3.27

$4.90 MX$90.6

-33.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 $1.44

$3.43 MX$63.5

-58.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.58 $24.58

$5.38 MX$99.4

356.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.45 MX$26.76

-17.24%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

69.79%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

14.37%

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

$192 $192

$85.4 MX$1,577

125.11%

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

$69.0 $69.0

$23.46 MX$434

193.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 $61.3

$28.43 MX$525

115.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.66 $37.66

$62.2 MX$1,149

-39.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$18.10 $18.10

$5.10 MX$94.3

254.90%

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

$1,671 $1,671

$201 MX$3,715

730.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

701.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 $65.7

$44.39 MX$820

48.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$41.35 MX$764

25.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$72.7 MX$1,344

38.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$89.6 MX$1,656

59.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,479 $1,479

$979 MX$18.1K

51.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 $1,311

$373 MX$6,887

251.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 $2,445

$1,681 MX$31.1K

45.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,917 $1,917

$1,095 MX$20.2K

75.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,747 $2,747

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-30.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,399 $2,399

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-60.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,667 $3,667

$738 MX$13.6K

397.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

11.45

-40.52%

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

Last update for Janesville, WI: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Janesville, WI

$1.3K 49.4%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 71.6% $938

Groceries & Markets

Janesville, WI

$422 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 38.7% $163

Eating Out

Janesville, WI

$346 13%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 42.2% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Janesville, WI

$322 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 57.4% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Janesville, WI

$162 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 31.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Janesville, WI

$74 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 2% $1.4

Getting Around

Janesville, WI

$18 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 183% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,479 in Janesville, WI versus $979 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 run about 397% higher in Janesville, WI, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Janesville, WI versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $422 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Janesville, WI

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:50 10:50 PM

Same time as Janesville, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,575

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Janesville, WI Playa del Carmen 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Janesville, WI
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

Janesville, WI vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,656 in Janesville, WI, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 121% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,984 per month in Janesville, WI 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Janesville, WI and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 63% more in Janesville, WI, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Janesville, WI at $2,656. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Janesville, WI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,656 in Janesville, WI. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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