Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lafayette, CO and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,535 in Lafayette, CO, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Lafayette, CO
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Lafayette, CO Living Index
57

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

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Lafayette, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,535

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,535 per month in Lafayette, CO vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lafayette, CO $2,535
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,765 per month in Lafayette, CO vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lafayette, CO $3,765
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,996 per month in Lafayette, CO vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lafayette, CO $4,996
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Lafayette, CO costs about 111% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lafayette, CO sits 87% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.39 $20.39

$10.67 MX$199

91.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 $73.5

$43.80 MX$815

67.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.64 $12.64

$11.79 MX$219

7.21%

Cappuccino

$5.41 $5.41

$3.79 MX$70.5

42.74%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$1.30 MX$24.14

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.83 MX$15.51

134.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 $6.08

$3.15 MX$58.6

93.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.28 $7.28

$4.93 MX$91.8

47.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.41 MX$26.22

-20.57%

White Bread (500g)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.20 MX$40.86

86.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$1.47 MX$27.40

242.18%

Eggs

$4.10 $4.10

$2.50 MX$46.47

64.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.54 $12.54

$7.29 MX$136

72.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.84 $11.84

$7.95 MX$148

48.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.49 $15.49

$12.86 MX$239

20.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.90 MX$53.9

69.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.38 MX$25.74

20.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.49 MX$46.36

62.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.03 MX$37.78

117.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.02 MX$37.69

19.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.90 MX$35.42

75.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.14 MX$21.30

88.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.24 MX$23.06

73.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.54 $11.54

$4.27 MX$79.5

170.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.86 $14.86

$9.81 MX$183

51.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.59 MX$29.51

40.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.75 MX$51.1

11.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.51 MX$9.58

274.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.2 $62.2

$27.39 MX$510

127.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 $3.28

$4.76 MX$88.6

-31.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$3.25 MX$60.5

-47.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.16 $29.16

$5.39 MX$100

441.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.53 MX$28.44

-32.03%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

28.93%

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

$28.9K $28.9K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

24.21%

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

$163 $163

$83.5 MX$1,554

95.14%

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

$59.2 $59.2

$23.19 MX$431

155.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$27.61 MX$514

153.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.82 $39.82

$56.4 MX$1,050

-29.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$13.41 $13.41

$5.00 MX$93.1

168.20%

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

$1,477 $1,477

$207 MX$3,854

613.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

299.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.4 $51.4

$43.45 MX$809

18.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.50 $44.50

$42.54 MX$792

4.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 $88.3

$72.8 MX$1,354

21.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 $126

$88.4 MX$1,645

42.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 $1,533

$995 MX$18.5K

54.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 $1,225

$382 MX$7,116

220.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,760 $2,760

$1,674 MX$31.2K

64.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,088 $2,088

$1,081 MX$20.1K

93.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,803 $2,803

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-28.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,063 $2,063

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-66.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 Lafayette, CO: 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

Lafayette, CO

$1.2K 48.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 68.8% $843

Groceries & Markets

Lafayette, CO

$400 15.8%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 35.7% $143

Eating Out

Lafayette, CO

$329 13%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 39.2% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lafayette, CO

$292 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 54% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Lafayette, CO

$140 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 20.3% $28

Getting Around

Lafayette, CO

$82 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 38.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Lafayette, CO

$67 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,533 in Lafayette, CO 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Lafayette, CO versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lafayette, CO

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

22:05 10:05 PM

2 h ahead of Lafayette, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,729

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 →

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Between locations

Lafayette, CO Playa del Carmen 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lafayette, CO
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

Lafayette, CO vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lafayette, CO is pricier by about 111%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,802 per month in Lafayette, CO 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 $1,533 in Lafayette, CO.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Lafayette, CO, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Lafayette, CO 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 Lafayette, CO at $2,535. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lafayette, CO 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.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 53% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.