Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Joplin, MO and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,055 in Joplin, MO, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Joplin, MO
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Joplin, MO Living Index
58

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

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Joplin, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,055

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,055 in Joplin, MO versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Joplin, MO $2,055
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,808 in Joplin, MO versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Joplin, MO $2,808
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,560 in Joplin, MO versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Joplin, MO $3,560
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Joplin, MO is roughly 71% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Joplin, MO is 51% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.81 $14.81

$10.92 MX$205

35.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.3 $59.3

$43.37 MX$813

36.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.30 $10.30

$11.78 MX$221

-12.56%

Cappuccino

$4.59 $4.59

$3.81 MX$71.4

20.47%

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

$1.95 $1.95

$1.28 MX$24.03

52.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$0.78 MX$14.67

139.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 $4.88

$3.17 MX$59.3

53.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$4.93 MX$92.5

19.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.41 MX$26.35

-36.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.22 MX$41.54

22.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.42 MX$26.56

47.18%

Eggs

$3.17 $3.17

$2.52 MX$47.27

25.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.77 $8.77

$7.26 MX$136

20.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 $6.90

$7.70 MX$144

-10.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.61 $17.61

$12.69 MX$238

38.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.78 MX$52.2

41.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.37 MX$25.64

-13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.55 MX$47.80

-1.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.12 MX$39.78

0.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.94 MX$36.32

-35.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.89 MX$35.34

22.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.15 MX$21.49

57.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.18 MX$22.09

91.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.55 $9.55

$4.30 MX$80.5

122.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$9.95 MX$186

50.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.58 MX$29.67

8.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.67 MX$50.1

-44.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.55 MX$10.37

258.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$4.97 MX$93.1

-51.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$3.33 MX$62.4

-52.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.22 $40.22

$5.36 MX$100

650.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.44 MX$27.06

-46.53%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

35.22%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

8.50%

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

$276 $276

$84.8 MX$1,589

225.37%

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

$42.40 $42.40

$23.41 MX$439

81.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.1 $70.1

$28.66 MX$537

144.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.86 $14.86

$57.1 MX$1,069

-73.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$13.57 $13.57

$5.14 MX$96.3

164.01%

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

$901 $901

$207 MX$3,871

336.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K $15.9K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

304.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.99 $39.99

$43.35 MX$812

-7.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.28 $31.28

$41.44 MX$777

-24.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$74.2 MX$1,390

35.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.3 $71.3

$89.3 MX$1,672

-20.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 $1,266

$980 MX$18.4K

29.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 $939

$381 MX$7,136

146.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 $1,695

$1,708 MX$32.0K

-0.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 $1,262

$1,075 MX$20.1K

17.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,483 $1,483

$3,943 MX$73.9K

-62.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,492 $1,492

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-75.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,311 $3,311

$735 MX$13.8K

350.83%

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 Joplin, MO: October 27, 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

Joplin, MO

$939 45.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 59.4% $558

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Joplin, MO

$388 18.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 64.8% $252

Groceries & Markets

Joplin, MO

$303 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 15.8% $48

Eating Out

Joplin, MO

$256 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 20.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Joplin, MO

$110 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 2% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Joplin, MO

$42 2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 60.2% $25

Getting Around

Joplin, MO

$18 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 176% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,266 in Joplin, MO and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Joplin, MO pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $59 in Joplin, MO vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Joplin, MO

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

1 h ahead of Joplin, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,762

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Joplin, MO Playa del Carmen 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Joplin, MO
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

Joplin, MO vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 41% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Joplin, MO is about 4.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,266 in Joplin, MO versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Joplin, MO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,055 per month in Joplin, MO versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,055 in Joplin, MO, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Joplin, MO. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Joplin, MO on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.