Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Charles, LA and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Charles, LA and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Lake Charles, LA is 62.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 110.1% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Lake Charles, LA is 58.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 71.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Lake Charles, LA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.54 $25.54
$11.85 MX$211
115.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.5 $88.5
$42.16 MX$750
109.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.02 $10.02
$10.75 MX$191
-6.79%
Cappuccino
$4.55 $4.55
$3.47 MX$61.8
31.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 $1.67
$1.45 MX$25.85
15.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 $2.15
$0.90 MX$16.06
138.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.10 $6.10
$3.05 MX$54.3
100.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.85 $7.85
$4.42 MX$78.6
77.60%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Lake Charles, LA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 $1.39
$1.37 MX$24.36
1.46%
White Bread (500g)
$3.99 $3.99
$1.87 MX$33.31
113.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$6.21 $6.21
$1.54 MX$27.46
303.25%
Eggs
$4.53 $4.53
$2.50 MX$44.53
81.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.72 $14.72
$8.61 MX$153
70.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.06 $11.06
$8.63 MX$154
28.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.60 $14.60
$11.02 MX$196
32.49%
Apples (1kg)
$4.37 $4.37
$2.75 MX$48.91
58.91%
Banana (1kg)
$1.32 $1.32
$1.43 MX$25.41
-7.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.91 $1.91
$1.87 MX$33.32
2.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.07 $5.07
$2.17 MX$38.56
133.64%
Potato (1kg)
$4.01 $4.01
$1.88 MX$33.50
113.30%
Onion (1kg)
$2.24 $2.24
$2.25 MX$39.96
-0.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.15 $2.15
$1.07 MX$18.99
100.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 $2.90
$1.07 MX$19.10
171.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.62 $8.62
$4.15 MX$73.9
107.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.78 $16.78
$10.34 MX$184
62.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.09 $2.09
$1.68 MX$29.87
24.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 $3.49
$2.48 MX$44.19
40.73%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Lake Charles, LA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.96 $1.96
$0.55 MX$9.87
256.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.53 MX$472
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.47 $3.47
$3.22 MX$57.2
7.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.47 $1.47
$2.48 MX$44.15
-40.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$34.41 $34.41
$3.11 MX$55.3
1006.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 $0.82
$1.26 MX$22.34
-34.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.5K $35.5K
$30.7K MX$545.4K
15.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.9K $27.9K
$24.0K MX$427.6K
16.22%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lake Charles, LA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$233 $233
$82.5 MX$1,467
181.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$57.7 $57.7
$22.29 MX$396
159.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.1 $60.1
$30.02 MX$534
100.30%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Lake Charles, LA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.77 $43.77
$51.4 MX$915
-14.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.85 $13.85
$18.29 MX$325
-24.28%
Cinema Ticket
$11.38 $11.38
$4.98 MX$88.7
128.51%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Lake Charles, LA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,592 $1,592
$200 MX$3,558
695.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.2K $10.2K
$5,304 MX$94.4K
91.36%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Lake Charles, LA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$47.74 $47.74
$35.71 MX$635
33.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.32 $40.32
$39.56 MX$704
1.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.9 $74.9
$80.6 MX$1,433
-6.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.9 $98.9
$88.3 MX$1,571
11.93%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Lake Charles, LA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,584 $1,584
$969 MX$17.2K
63.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,348 $1,348
$482 MX$8,579
179.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,602 $2,602
$1,595 MX$28.4K
63.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,241 $2,241
$1,184 MX$21.1K
89.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,398 $1,398
$4,050 MX$72.1K
-65.49%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,381 $1,381
$6,522 MX$116.0K
-78.82%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Lake Charles, LA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,612 $3,612
$756 MX$13.5K
377.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.57
11.42
-42.47%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lake Charles, LA: March 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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