Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ketchikan, AK and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,104 in Ketchikan, AK, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Ketchikan, AK
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Ketchikan, AK Living Index
57

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

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Ketchikan, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$3,104

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,104 in Ketchikan, AK versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Ketchikan, AK $3,104
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,242 in Ketchikan, AK versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Ketchikan, AK $4,242
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,380 in Ketchikan, AK versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Ketchikan, AK $5,380
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Ketchikan, AK is roughly 158% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ketchikan, AK is 130% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.76 $27.76

$10.67 MX$199

160.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 $82.4

$43.80 MX$815

88.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.47 $11.47

$11.79 MX$219

-2.71%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$3.79 MX$70.5

34.30%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$1.30 MX$24.14

108.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.83 MX$15.51

144.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.57 $7.57

$3.15 MX$58.6

140.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.39 $7.39

$4.93 MX$91.8

49.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.41 MX$26.22

24.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.20 MX$40.86

61.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.47 MX$27.40

190.48%

Eggs

$4.31 $4.31

$2.50 MX$46.47

72.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 $12.61

$7.29 MX$136

72.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 $11.70

$7.95 MX$148

47.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 $17.35

$12.86 MX$239

34.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.90 MX$53.9

71.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.38 MX$25.74

17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.49 MX$46.36

75.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.03 MX$37.78

135.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.02 MX$37.69

33.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.90 MX$35.42

78.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.14 MX$21.30

92.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.24 MX$23.06

95.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.87 $9.87

$4.27 MX$79.5

131.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$9.81 MX$183

51.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.59 MX$29.51

39.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.75 MX$51.1

32.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.51 MX$9.58

290.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.1 $59.1

$27.39 MX$510

115.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 $3.92

$4.76 MX$88.6

-17.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 $1.56

$3.25 MX$60.5

-52.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.88 $28.88

$5.39 MX$100

435.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.53 MX$28.44

-21.57%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

39.90%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

10.26%

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

$200 $200

$83.5 MX$1,554

139.05%

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

$57.5 $57.5

$23.19 MX$431

148.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$135 $135

$27.61 MX$514

389.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.43 $40.43

$56.4 MX$1,050

-28.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$17.98 $17.98

$5.00 MX$93.1

259.60%

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

$1,219 $1,219

$207 MX$3,854

488.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K $19.5K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

271.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 $57.1

$43.45 MX$809

31.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.71 $43.71

$42.54 MX$792

2.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 $82.9

$72.8 MX$1,354

13.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$88.4 MX$1,645

36.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,781 $1,781

$995 MX$18.5K

79.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 $1,618

$382 MX$7,116

323.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,366 $2,366

$1,674 MX$31.2K

41.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 $2,156

$1,081 MX$20.1K

99.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,323 $3,323

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-14.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,412 $3,412

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-44.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,559 $4,559

$832 MX$15.5K

447.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

11.45

-42.45%

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

Last update for Ketchikan, AK: November 3, 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

Ketchikan, AK

$1.6K 52.1%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 76.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Ketchikan, AK

$413 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 37.6% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ketchikan, AK

$392 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 65.8% $258

Eating Out

Ketchikan, AK

$389 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 48.5% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Ketchikan, AK

$137 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 18.8% $26

Getting Around

Ketchikan, AK

$79 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 35.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Ketchikan, AK

$76 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 13% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,781 in Ketchikan, AK and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ketchikan, AK pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $82 in Ketchikan, AK vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ketchikan, AK

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

18:43 6:43 PM

4 h ahead of Ketchikan, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,200

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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 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

Ketchikan, AK Playa del Carmen 5,340 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ketchikan, AK
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

Ketchikan, AK vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,104 in Ketchikan, AK and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 61% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Ketchikan, AK is about 5.5 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: $1,781 in Ketchikan, AK versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,219 in Ketchikan, AK versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Ketchikan, AK. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,104 in Ketchikan, AK, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Ketchikan, AK. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Ketchikan, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.