Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lakewood, WA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,284 in Lakewood, WA, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

158

Cost of Living Index in Lakewood, WA
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Lakewood, WA Living Index
59

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

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Lakewood, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,284

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,284 in Lakewood, WA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Lakewood, WA $3,284
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,777 in Lakewood, WA versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Lakewood, WA $4,777
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,270 in Lakewood, WA versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Lakewood, WA $6,270
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Lakewood, WA is roughly 173% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lakewood, WA is 142% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.09 $18.09

$10.86 MX$201

66.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 $67.6

$44.21 MX$817

52.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.71 $12.71

$11.76 MX$217

8.08%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$3.68 MX$68.0

41.30%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$1.34 MX$24.79

122.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.82 MX$15.24

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.06 MX$56.6

27.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.10 $6.10

$4.94 MX$91.2

23.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.47 MX$27.17

-30.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.22 MX$40.95

65.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$1.48 MX$27.32

186.49%

Eggs

$3.92 $3.92

$2.49 MX$45.99

57.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.72 $13.72

$7.52 MX$139

82.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.69 $8.69

$7.96 MX$147

9.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.21 $11.21

$12.57 MX$232

-10.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.78 MX$51.3

57.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.43 MX$26.37

35.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.62 MX$48.37

58.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.14 MX$39.49

111.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.02 MX$37.38

-2.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.99 MX$36.74

8.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.14 MX$21.01

77.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.20 MX$22.18

107.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 $12.36

$4.26 MX$78.7

190.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.84 $15.84

$10.02 MX$185

58.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.54 MX$28.41

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.66 MX$49.17

56.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.53 MX$9.73

284.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$197 $197

$27.51 MX$508

615.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$4.90 MX$90.6

-58.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 $0.64

$3.43 MX$63.5

-81.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.31 $27.31

$5.38 MX$99.4

407.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.45 MX$26.76

-7.59%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

32.80%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

14.28%

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

$289 $289

$85.4 MX$1,577

238.25%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$23.46 MX$434

215.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.5 $89.5

$28.43 MX$525

214.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.00 $41.00

$62.2 MX$1,149

-34.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.97 $24.97

$28.68 MX$530

-12.94%

Cinema Ticket

$18.08 $18.08

$5.10 MX$94.3

254.51%

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

$1,965 $1,965

$201 MX$3,715

877.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.7K $25.7K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

550.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 $50.1

$44.39 MX$820

12.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 $38.11

$41.35 MX$764

-7.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$72.7 MX$1,344

37.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$89.6 MX$1,656

51.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 $1,961

$979 MX$18.1K

100.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,733 $1,733

$373 MX$6,887

364.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,365 $3,365

$1,681 MX$31.1K

100.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,047 $3,047

$1,095 MX$20.2K

178.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,359 $2,359

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-40.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,606 $2,606

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-57.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

11.45

-40.52%

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

Last update for Lakewood, WA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lakewood, WA

$1.7K 52.8%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 78.5% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lakewood, WA

$452 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 69.7% $315

Groceries & Markets

Lakewood, WA

$369 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 29.9% $110

Eating Out

Lakewood, WA

$297 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 32.6% $97

Getting Around

Lakewood, WA

$210 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 75.4% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Lakewood, WA

$146 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 23.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lakewood, WA

$77 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 6.2% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,961 in Lakewood, WA and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Lakewood, WA vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $369 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lakewood, WA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:11 1:11 AM

03:11 3:11 AM

2 h ahead of Lakewood, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,024

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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

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Between locations

Lakewood, WA Playa del Carmen 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lakewood, WA
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

Lakewood, WA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lakewood, WA and Playa del Carmen differ by about 173% in total monthly costs ($3,284 vs $1,204 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,926 in Lakewood, WA and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,961 in Lakewood, WA versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $68.0 in Lakewood, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,284 per month in Lakewood, WA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 173% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,284 in Lakewood, WA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lakewood, WA. 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.

Safety-wise, Lakewood, WA and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 173% less than in Lakewood, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.