Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Laredo, TX and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,964 in Laredo, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Laredo, TX
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Laredo, TX Living Index
59

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

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Laredo, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,964

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,964 per month in Laredo, TX vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Laredo, TX $1,964
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,981 per month in Laredo, TX vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Laredo, TX $2,981
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,999 per month in Laredo, TX vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Laredo, TX $3,999
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Laredo, TX costs about 63% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Laredo, TX sits 45% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.33 $18.33

$10.86 MX$201

68.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 $69.0

$44.21 MX$817

55.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 $7.81

$11.76 MX$217

-33.59%

Cappuccino

$4.96 $4.96

$3.68 MX$68.0

34.78%

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

$2.30 $2.30

$1.34 MX$24.79

71.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$0.82 MX$15.24

104.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.06 MX$56.6

27.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 $5.88

$4.94 MX$91.2

19.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.47 MX$27.17

-31.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.22 MX$40.95

-10.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.48 MX$27.32

97.97%

Eggs

$3.82 $3.82

$2.49 MX$45.99

53.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$7.52 MX$139

15.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 $9.90

$7.96 MX$147

24.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.45 $13.45

$12.57 MX$232

7.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.78 MX$51.3

75.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.43 MX$26.37

13.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$2.62 MX$48.37

62.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.14 MX$39.49

50.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.02 MX$37.38

29.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.99 MX$36.74

11.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.14 MX$21.01

68.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.20 MX$22.18

44.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.40 $9.40

$4.26 MX$78.7

120.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.85 $12.85

$10.02 MX$185

28.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.54 MX$28.41

15.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.66 MX$49.17

27.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.53 MX$9.73

84.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.02 $20.02

$27.51 MX$508

-27.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 $3.41

$4.90 MX$90.6

-30.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$3.43 MX$63.5

-46.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.17 $24.17

$5.38 MX$99.4

349.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.45 MX$26.76

-43.45%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

18.46%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

6.65%

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

$215 $215

$85.4 MX$1,577

151.42%

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

$63.8 $63.8

$23.46 MX$434

171.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.4 $64.4

$28.43 MX$525

126.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.94 $39.94

$62.2 MX$1,149

-35.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.88 $19.88

$28.68 MX$530

-30.68%

Cinema Ticket

$14.73 $14.73

$5.10 MX$94.3

188.82%

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

$351 $351

$201 MX$3,715

74.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K $19.1K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

385.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.79 $44.79

$44.39 MX$820

0.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.03 $20.03

$41.35 MX$764

-51.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.8 $69.8

$72.7 MX$1,344

-4.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$89.6 MX$1,656

34.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,189 $1,189

$979 MX$18.1K

21.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$801 $801

$373 MX$6,887

114.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 $1,291

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-23.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 $1,450

$1,095 MX$20.2K

32.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,704 $1,704

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-56.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,698 $1,698

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-72.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,125 $3,125

$738 MX$13.6K

323.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

11.45

-43.76%

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

Last update for Laredo, TX: October 17, 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

Laredo, TX

$801 40.8%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 53.5% $428

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Laredo, TX

$343 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 60% $206

Groceries & Markets

Laredo, TX

$322 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 19.8% $64

Eating Out

Laredo, TX

$277 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 27.7% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Laredo, TX

$115 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 2.8% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Laredo, TX

$69 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 4.3% $3

Getting Around

Laredo, TX

$37 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 41.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,189 in Laredo, TX versus $979 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 324% higher in Laredo, TX, 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 $69.0 in Laredo, TX versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Laredo, TX

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

Same time as Laredo, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

255,205

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Laredo, TX Playa del Carmen 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Laredo, TX
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

Laredo, TX vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Laredo, TX costs about 63% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,946 per month in Laredo, TX and $1,806 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,964 in Laredo, TX and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 63%.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Laredo, TX at $1,964. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Laredo, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,964 in Laredo, TX. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Laredo, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.