Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Crosse, WI and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,198 in La Crosse, WI, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in La Crosse, WI
Learn more

La Crosse, WI Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

La Crosse, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,198

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,198 per month in La Crosse, WI vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

La Crosse, WI $2,198
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,399 per month in La Crosse, WI vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

La Crosse, WI $3,399
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,601 per month in La Crosse, WI vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

La Crosse, WI $4,601
Playa del Carmen $3,016

La Crosse, WI costs about 82% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

La Crosse, WI sits 63% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.98 $14.98

$10.76 MX$199

39.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 $71.2

$43.03 MX$795

65.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 $11.17

$11.79 MX$218

-5.26%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$3.87 MX$71.4

45.99%

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

$2.20 $2.20

$1.37 MX$25.29

60.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 $1.18

$0.84 MX$15.44

40.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.44 $4.44

$3.10 MX$57.3

43.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 $5.97

$5.07 MX$93.6

17.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.44 MX$26.55

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.23 MX$41.23

14.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$1.47 MX$27.17

224.49%

Eggs

$2.40 $2.40

$2.53 MX$46.71

-5.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 $9.96

$7.30 MX$135

36.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.69 $10.69

$7.86 MX$145

36.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 $16.45

$12.79 MX$236

28.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.90 MX$53.6

68.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.44 MX$26.53

-22.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.55 MX$47.07

21.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$2.06 MX$38.03

153.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.00 MX$36.97

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.01 MX$37.07

14.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.19 MX$22.02

73.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.26 MX$23.23

35.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.74 $9.74

$4.40 MX$81.4

121.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 $11.04

$9.59 MX$177

15.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.59 MX$29.41

14.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.81 MX$51.9

-30.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.57 MX$10.47

71.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.58 $35.58

$27.82 MX$514

27.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$4.98 MX$92.1

-30.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$3.50 MX$64.6

-45.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.67 $44.67

$5.40 MX$99.8

727.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.47 MX$27.08

-39.46%

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

$38.8K $38.8K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

84.99%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

1.58%

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

$206 $206

$84.2 MX$1,556

144.97%

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

$54.4 $54.4

$23.99 MX$443

126.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$29.02 MX$536

130.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.44 $39.44

$63.0 MX$1,164

-37.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.95 $3.95

$29.14 MX$539

-86.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$4.94 MX$91.3

141.30%

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

$890 $890

$204 MX$3,763

337.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.3 $63.3

$43.60 MX$806

45.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.3 $63.3

$43.12 MX$797

46.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 $79.6

$75.8 MX$1,400

5.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$88.6 MX$1,637

36.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 $763

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-24.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 $1,000

$374 MX$6,911

167.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,227 $2,227

$1,708 MX$31.6K

30.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 $1,983

$1,106 MX$20.4K

79.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,907 $1,907

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-51.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,920 $1,920

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-68.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,088 $4,088

$754 MX$13.9K

442.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

11.45

-42.10%

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

Last update for La Crosse, WI: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Crosse, WI

$1K 45.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 62.6% $626

Groceries & Markets

La Crosse, WI

$338 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 23.6% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Crosse, WI

$328 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 58.1% $190

Eating Out

La Crosse, WI

$269 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 24.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

La Crosse, WI

$147 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 23.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

La Crosse, WI

$63 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 15.2% $9.6

Getting Around

La Crosse, WI

$52 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 0.2% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $763 in La Crosse, WI versus $1,008 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 442% higher in La Crosse, 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 $71.0 in La Crosse, WI versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 La Crosse, WI

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:40 2:40 AM

Same time as La Crosse, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,680

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Crosse, WI Playa del Carmen 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

La Crosse, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,198 in La Crosse, WI, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 82% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,297 per month in La Crosse, WI and $1,816 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.

Groceries cost about 31% more in La Crosse, WI, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in La Crosse, WI and $43.00 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 $1,210, than in La Crosse, WI at $2,198. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in La Crosse, 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 $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $2,198 in La Crosse, 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, La Crosse, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.