Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Katy, TX and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,451 in Katy, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Katy, TX
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Katy, TX Living Index
57

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

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Katy, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,451

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,451 per month in Katy, TX vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Katy, TX $2,451
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,581 per month in Katy, TX vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Katy, TX $3,581
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,711 per month in Katy, TX vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Katy, TX $4,711
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Katy, TX costs about 104% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Katy, TX sits 81% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 $16.88

$10.67 MX$199

58.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 $60.6

$43.80 MX$815

38.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 $8.85

$11.79 MX$219

-24.94%

Cappuccino

$3.49 $3.49

$3.79 MX$70.5

-7.92%

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

$1.98 $1.98

$1.30 MX$24.14

52.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.83 MX$15.51

156.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.07 $4.07

$3.15 MX$58.6

29.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 $5.53

$4.93 MX$91.8

12.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.41 MX$26.22

-32.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.20 MX$40.86

60.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.47 MX$27.40

108.16%

Eggs

$3.05 $3.05

$2.50 MX$46.47

22.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$7.29 MX$136

79.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 $9.66

$7.95 MX$148

21.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 $16.72

$12.86 MX$239

30.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.90 MX$53.9

32.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.38 MX$25.74

-10.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.49 MX$46.36

25.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.03 MX$37.78

60.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.02 MX$37.69

3.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.90 MX$35.42

31.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.14 MX$21.30

56.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.24 MX$23.06

-1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.68 $9.68

$4.27 MX$79.5

126.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.75 $12.75

$9.81 MX$183

29.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.59 MX$29.51

6.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.75 MX$51.1

-42.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.51 MX$9.58

296.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 $107

$27.39 MX$510

289.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$4.76 MX$88.6

-43.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.25 MX$60.5

-51.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.07 $35.07

$5.39 MX$100

550.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.53 MX$28.44

-44.44%

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

$32.3K $32.3K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

52.48%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

5.19%

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

$246 $246

$83.5 MX$1,554

194.25%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$23.19 MX$431

154.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$27.61 MX$514

155.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.59 $25.59

$56.4 MX$1,050

-54.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 $25.19

$28.19 MX$525

-10.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.91 $11.91

$5.00 MX$93.1

138.20%

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

$1,009 $1,009

$207 MX$3,854

387.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K $17.8K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

239.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$43.45 MX$809

21.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.00 $43.00

$42.54 MX$792

1.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 $86.9

$72.8 MX$1,354

19.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$88.4 MX$1,645

23.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 $1,544

$995 MX$18.5K

55.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 $1,186

$382 MX$7,116

210.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,750 $2,750

$1,674 MX$31.2K

64.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,026 $2,026

$1,081 MX$20.1K

87.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,098 $2,098

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-46.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 $1,542

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-74.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,102 $4,102

$832 MX$15.5K

392.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.41

11.45

-44.02%

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

Last update for Katy, TX: November 2, 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

Katy, TX

$1.2K 48.4%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 67.8% $804

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Katy, TX

$375 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 64.2% $241

Groceries & Markets

Katy, TX

$332 13.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 22.6% $75

Eating Out

Katy, TX

$251 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 20.3% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Katy, TX

$131 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 15.3% $20

Getting Around

Katy, TX

$125 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 59.8% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Katy, TX

$49 2%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 34.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,544 in Katy, TX 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 Katy, TX are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Katy, TX versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Katy, TX

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:11 9:11 PM

22:11 10:11 PM

1 h ahead of Katy, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,102

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Katy, TX Playa del Carmen 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Katy, TX
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

Katy, TX vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Katy, TX costs about 104% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,677 per month in Katy, TX 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 $1,544 in Katy, TX.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Katy, TX, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Katy, TX 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 Katy, TX at $2,451. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Katy, TX 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, Katy, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.