Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johnson City, TN and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,138 in Johnson City, TN, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Johnson City, TN
Learn more

Johnson City, TN Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Johnson City, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,138

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,138 per month in Johnson City, TN vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Johnson City, TN $2,138
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,133 per month in Johnson City, TN vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Johnson City, TN $3,133
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,129 per month in Johnson City, TN vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Johnson City, TN $4,129
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Johnson City, TN costs about 78% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Johnson City, TN sits 57% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.78 $13.78

$10.92 MX$204

26.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 $53.9

$43.37 MX$808

24.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$11.78 MX$220

-16.13%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$3.81 MX$71.0

34.91%

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

$2.88 $2.88

$1.28 MX$23.90

125.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.78 MX$14.59

160.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.17 MX$59.0

55.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 $6.04

$4.93 MX$92.0

22.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.41 MX$26.22

-30.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.22 MX$41.33

68.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.42 MX$26.42

179.58%

Eggs

$3.11 $3.11

$2.52 MX$47.03

23.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 $7.53

$7.26 MX$135

3.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.67 $13.67

$7.70 MX$143

77.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 $13.09

$12.69 MX$237

3.15%

Apples (1kg)

$7.59 $7.59

$2.78 MX$51.9

173.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.37 MX$25.50

26.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.55 MX$47.55

60.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.12 MX$39.58

72.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.94 MX$36.13

75.26%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.89 MX$35.16

129.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.15 MX$21.37

91.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.18 MX$21.98

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.30 MX$80.1

109.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.14 $13.14

$9.95 MX$185

32.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.58 MX$29.52

1.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.67 MX$49.79

65.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$0.55 MX$10.31

76.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.13 $25.13

$26.62 MX$496

-5.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 $5.58

$4.97 MX$92.6

12.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 $1.44

$3.33 MX$62.1

-56.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.19 $15.19

$5.36 MX$99.8

183.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.44 MX$26.92

-42.36%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

45.18%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

5.31%

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

$172 $172

$84.8 MX$1,581

103.05%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$23.41 MX$436

121.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.5 $62.5

$28.66 MX$534

117.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.20 $47.20

$57.1 MX$1,063

-17.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.14 $20.14

$28.91 MX$539

-30.34%

Cinema Ticket

$11.88 $11.88

$5.14 MX$95.8

131.13%

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

$1,185 $1,185

$207 MX$3,851

473.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K $14.6K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

272.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.41 $37.41

$43.35 MX$808

-13.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.80 $30.80

$41.44 MX$772

-25.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 $87.4

$74.2 MX$1,383

17.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 $94.4

$89.3 MX$1,664

5.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 $1,178

$980 MX$18.3K

20.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$980 $980

$381 MX$7,099

157.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,992 $1,992

$1,708 MX$31.8K

16.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 $1,616

$1,075 MX$20.0K

50.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,444 $2,444

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-38.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,033 $2,033

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-66.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 $3,584

$735 MX$13.7K

387.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

11.45

-43.32%

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

Last update for Johnson City, TN: October 26, 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

Johnson City, TN

$980 45.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 61.2% $599

Groceries & Markets

Johnson City, TN

$388 18.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 34.3% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johnson City, TN

$287 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 52.2% $150

Eating Out

Johnson City, TN

$258 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 21.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Johnson City, TN

$113 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 0.7% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Johnson City, TN

$71 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 5.1% $3.6

Getting Around

Johnson City, TN

$42 2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 20.7% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,178 in Johnson City, TN 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 Johnson City, TN are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Johnson City, TN versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Johnson City, TN

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:38 5:38 PM

16:38 4:38 PM

1 h behind Johnson City, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,027

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

Johnson City, TN Playa del Carmen 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Johnson City, 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

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

Yes – Johnson City, TN is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,207 per month in Johnson City, TN 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 $1,178 in Johnson City, TN.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Johnson City, TN and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,138 in Johnson City, TN and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 44% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Johnson City, TN at $2,138. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johnson City, 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, Johnson City, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.