Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lawrence, KS and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,202 in Lawrence, KS, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lawrence, KS
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Lawrence, KS Living Index
59

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

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Lawrence, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,202

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lawrence, KS vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lawrence, KS $2,202
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,303 per month in Lawrence, KS vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lawrence, KS $3,303
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,405 per month in Lawrence, KS vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lawrence, KS $4,405
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Lawrence, KS costs about 83% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lawrence, KS sits 62% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.21 $15.21

$10.86 MX$201

40.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.0 $75.0

$44.21 MX$817

69.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 $11.17

$11.76 MX$217

-5.02%

Cappuccino

$5.16 $5.16

$3.68 MX$68.0

40.22%

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

$2.57 $2.57

$1.34 MX$24.79

91.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$0.82 MX$15.24

131.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.06 MX$56.6

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.64 $7.64

$4.94 MX$91.2

54.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.47 MX$27.17

-42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.22 MX$40.95

38.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.48 MX$27.32

199.32%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$2.49 MX$45.99

61.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.31 $11.31

$7.52 MX$139

50.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.66 $12.66

$7.96 MX$147

59.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.77 $16.77

$12.57 MX$232

33.41%

Apples (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$2.78 MX$51.3

92.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.43 MX$26.37

50.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.62 MX$48.37

80.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.14 MX$39.49

97.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$2.02 MX$37.38

-6.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.99 MX$36.74

48.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.14 MX$21.01

43.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.20 MX$22.18

145.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.11 $8.11

$4.26 MX$78.7

90.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.28 $14.28

$10.02 MX$185

42.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.54 MX$28.41

17.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.66 MX$49.17

-37.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 $2.91

$4.90 MX$90.6

-40.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 $1.35

$3.43 MX$63.5

-60.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.91 $24.91

$5.38 MX$99.4

363.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.45 MX$26.76

-37.24%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

20.77%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

13.03%

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

$271 $271

$85.4 MX$1,577

217.33%

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

$63.5 $63.5

$23.46 MX$434

170.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.4 $64.4

$28.43 MX$525

126.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.94 $44.94

$62.2 MX$1,149

-27.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.05 $12.05

$28.68 MX$530

-57.98%

Cinema Ticket

$12.16 $12.16

$5.10 MX$94.3

138.43%

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

$965 $965

$201 MX$3,715

380.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K $19.6K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

395.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$44.39 MX$820

18.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.91 $39.91

$41.35 MX$764

-3.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 $81.2

$72.7 MX$1,344

11.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$89.6 MX$1,656

13.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 $1,186

$979 MX$18.1K

21.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 $925

$373 MX$6,887

148.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 $1,934

$1,681 MX$31.1K

15.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 $1,658

$1,095 MX$20.2K

51.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,222 $2,222

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-43.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,065 $2,065

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-66.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,851 $3,851

$738 MX$13.6K

422.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.45

-42.62%

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

Last update for Lawrence, KS: 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

Lawrence, KS

$925 42%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 59.7% $552

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lawrence, KS

$399 18.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 65.6% $262

Groceries & Markets

Lawrence, KS

$395 17.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 34.5% $136

Eating Out

Lawrence, KS

$281 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 28.7% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Lawrence, KS

$124 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 9.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lawrence, KS

$69 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 4.5% $3.1

Getting Around

Lawrence, KS

$9.7 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 436% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,186 in Lawrence, KS 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 422% higher in Lawrence, KS, 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 $75.0 in Lawrence, KS versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $395 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lawrence, KS

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:51 5:51 AM

Same time as Lawrence, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,358

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 →

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Between locations

Lawrence, KS Playa del Carmen 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lawrence, KS
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

Lawrence, KS vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lawrence, KS costs about 83% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,303 per month in Lawrence, KS 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Lawrence, KS and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Lawrence, KS, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Lawrence, KS at $2,202. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lawrence, KS it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $2,202 in Lawrence, KS. 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, Lawrence, KS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.