Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Alamos, NM and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Alamos, NM: $1,060 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

Cost of Living Index in Los Alamos, NM
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Los Alamos, NM Living Index
59

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

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Los Alamos, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$1,060

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,060 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $1,060
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,643 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $1,643
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,227 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $2,227
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Los Alamos, NM is about 12% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Los Alamos, NM and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Los Alamos, NM 22% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.75 $16.75

$10.86 MX$201

54.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.58 $39.58

$44.21 MX$817

-10.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 $9.82

$11.76 MX$217

-16.50%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$3.68 MX$68.0

34.51%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.34 MX$24.79

88.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.82 MX$15.24

86.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.06 MX$56.6

93.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 $6.89

$4.94 MX$91.2

39.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.47 MX$27.17

-35.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.22 MX$40.95

-2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$1.48 MX$27.32

212.16%

Eggs

$4.01 $4.01

$2.49 MX$45.99

61.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.89 $11.89

$7.52 MX$139

58.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 $9.74

$7.96 MX$147

22.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.91 $17.91

$12.57 MX$232

42.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.78 MX$51.3

75.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.43 MX$26.37

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.62 MX$48.37

8.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.14 MX$39.49

103.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.02 MX$37.38

-45.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.99 MX$36.74

67.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.14 MX$21.01

79.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.20 MX$22.18

-56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.00 $11.00

$4.26 MX$78.7

158.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 $13.84

$10.02 MX$185

38.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.54 MX$28.41

59.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$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)

$3.61 $3.61

$4.90 MX$90.6

-26.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 $1.94

$3.43 MX$63.5

-43.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 $32.32

$5.38 MX$99.4

500.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.45 MX$26.76

-35.17%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

41.93%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

9.98%

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

$156 $156

$85.4 MX$1,577

83.17%

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

$40.31 $40.31

$23.46 MX$434

71.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$28.43 MX$525

154.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$12.88 $12.88

$5.10 MX$94.3

152.55%

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

$1,480 $1,480

$201 MX$3,715

636.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.0K $25.0K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

534.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.09 $20.09

$44.39 MX$820

-54.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.66 $43.66

$41.35 MX$764

5.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$72.7 MX$1,344

40.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$89.6 MX$1,656

30.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 $1,101

$979 MX$18.1K

12.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,926 $1,926

$1,681 MX$31.1K

14.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,369 $3,369

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-14.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,369 $3,369

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-45.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,167 $8,167

$738 MX$13.6K

1007.36%

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 Los Alamos, NM: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Los Alamos, NM

$342 32.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 24.4% $83

Eating Out

Los Alamos, NM

$282 26.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 29.1% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Alamos, NM

$269 25.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 49% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Los Alamos, NM

$127 12%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 12.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Los Alamos, NM

$26 * 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 181% $47

Getting Around

Los Alamos, NM

$13 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 288% $38

Accommodation & Living

Los Alamos, NM

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,101 in Los Alamos, NM 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 1007% higher in Los Alamos, NM, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Los Alamos, NM versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $342 in Los Alamos, NM vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Alamos, NM

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

12:49 12:49 PM

1 h ahead of Los Alamos, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,179

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

Los Alamos, NM Playa del Carmen 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Los Alamos, NM
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

Los Alamos, NM vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,589 per month in Los Alamos, NM 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 Los Alamos, NM, 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 $1,060 in Los Alamos, NM and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 14%.

Kindergarten costs $1,480 per month in Los Alamos, NM and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Los Alamos, NM, where all-in costs run around $1,060, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Los Alamos, NM it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Los Alamos, NM – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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