Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lombard, IL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,480 in Lombard, IL, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Lombard, IL
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Lombard, IL Living Index
57

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

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Lombard, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,480

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,480 in Lombard, IL versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Lombard, IL $2,480
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,798 in Lombard, IL versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Lombard, IL $3,798
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,115 in Lombard, IL versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Lombard, IL $5,115
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Lombard, IL is roughly 106% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lombard, IL is 83% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.72 $19.72

$10.67 MX$201

84.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.6 $75.6

$43.80 MX$824

72.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 $11.59

$11.79 MX$222

-1.70%

Cappuccino

$6.15 $6.15

$3.79 MX$71.2

62.27%

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

$2.76 $2.76

$1.30 MX$24.41

112.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.83 MX$15.69

210.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 $7.05

$3.15 MX$59.2

123.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.93 $5.93

$4.93 MX$92.9

20.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.41 MX$26.51

-28.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.20 MX$41.32

66.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$1.47 MX$27.71

191.84%

Eggs

$4.23 $4.23

$2.50 MX$46.99

69.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 $12.40

$7.29 MX$137

70.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 $11.46

$7.95 MX$150

44.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.01 $17.01

$12.86 MX$242

32.27%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$2.90 MX$54.5

73.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.38 MX$26.03

20.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.49 MX$46.88

77.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.03 MX$38.20

133.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.02 MX$38.11

43.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.90 MX$35.82

52.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.14 MX$21.54

68.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.24 MX$23.32

90.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.07 $10.07

$4.27 MX$80.4

135.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.03 $15.03

$9.81 MX$185

53.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.59 MX$29.85

24.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.75 MX$51.7

21.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.51 MX$9.69

317.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 $66.4

$27.39 MX$515

142.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.79 $3.79

$4.76 MX$89.6

-20.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$3.25 MX$61.1

-49.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.60 $25.60

$5.39 MX$101

374.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.53 MX$28.76

-17.65%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$21.2K MX$399.2K

20.68%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$23.3K MX$437.8K

27.48%

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

$217 $217

$83.5 MX$1,571

159.62%

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

$58.4 $58.4

$23.19 MX$436

151.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$27.61 MX$520

150.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.36 $39.36

$56.4 MX$1,062

-30.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$14.37 $14.37

$5.00 MX$94.1

187.40%

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

$1,221 $1,221

$207 MX$3,897

489.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K $22.4K

$5,231 MX$98.4K

327.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 $50.8

$43.45 MX$818

16.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.19 $39.19

$42.54 MX$801

-7.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 $92.4

$72.8 MX$1,369

27.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 $130

$88.4 MX$1,663

47.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 $1,420

$995 MX$18.7K

42.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 $1,105

$382 MX$7,197

189.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,254 $2,254

$1,674 MX$31.5K

34.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,119 $2,119

$1,081 MX$20.3K

96.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,111 $3,111

$3,909 MX$73.6K

-20.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,660 $2,660

$6,138 MX$115.5K

-56.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

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 Lombard, IL: 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

Lombard, IL

$1.1K 44.6%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 65.4% $723

Groceries & Markets

Lombard, IL

$400 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 35.6% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lombard, IL

$344 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 61% $210

Eating Out

Lombard, IL

$335 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 40.2% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Lombard, IL

$141 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 21% $29

Getting Around

Lombard, IL

$87 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 41.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Lombard, IL

$68 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 2.4% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,420 in Lombard, IL and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $76 in Lombard, IL vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lombard, IL

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:43 4:43 AM

05:43 5:43 AM

1 h ahead of Lombard, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,792

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Lombard, IL Playa del Carmen 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lombard, IL
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

Lombard, IL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,720 in Lombard, IL and $1,804 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: $1,420 in Lombard, IL versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Lombard, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $76 in Lombard, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,480 in Lombard, IL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lombard, IL. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Lombard, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.