Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Angeles, CA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA, rent and utilities included – about $36,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

203

Cost of Living Index in Los Angeles, CA
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Los Angeles, CA Living Index
60

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

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Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,259

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen.

Los Angeles, CA $4,259
Playa del Carmen $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,260 in Los Angeles, CA versus $2,144 in Playa del Carmen.

Los Angeles, CA $6,260
Playa del Carmen $2,144

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,260 in Los Angeles, CA versus $3,072 in Playa del Carmen.

Los Angeles, CA $8,260
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Living in Los Angeles, CA is roughly 250% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Los Angeles, CA is 218% above, Playa del Carmen is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.00 $27.00

$10.97 MX$201

146.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$44.85 MX$823

172.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.98 $14.98

$11.92 MX$219

25.67%

Cappuccino

$5.84 $5.84

$3.80 MX$69.9

53.68%

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

$3.77 $3.77

$1.31 MX$24.08

187.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.86 MX$15.72

210.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.21 MX$59.0

150.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$5.01 MX$92.0

96.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.46 MX$26.77

-10.96%

White Bread (500g)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.33 MX$42.72

107.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.44 MX$26.48

211.11%

Eggs

$6.14 $6.14

$2.46 MX$45.20

149.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.32 $11.32

$7.70 MX$141

47.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$7.89 MX$145

100.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.94 $19.94

$12.80 MX$235

55.78%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$2.92 MX$53.6

79.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.42 MX$26.11

64.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$2.57 MX$47.10

82.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$2.14 MX$39.24

164.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.95 MX$35.75

68.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.94 MX$35.55

48.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.15 MX$21.13

82.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.22 MX$22.42

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.78 $12.78

$4.38 MX$80.3

191.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$9.85 MX$181

52.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.54 MX$28.23

92.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.72 MX$49.86

3.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.52 MX$9.64

244.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 $104

$27.42 MX$503

279.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$4.91 MX$90.2

-37.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$3.52 MX$64.7

-46.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.58 $31.58

$5.69 MX$104

455.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.54 MX$28.27

5.19%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

77.35%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

7.54%

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

$288 $288

$83.6 MX$1,535

244.37%

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

$77.9 $77.9

$24.03 MX$441

224.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.5 $80.5

$29.33 MX$539

174.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.2 $74.2

$64.9 MX$1,191

14.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 $11.90

$29.46 MX$541

-59.61%

Cinema Ticket

$19.79 $19.79

$5.09 MX$93.4

288.80%

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

$1,678 $1,678

$208 MX$3,813

707.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K $31.9K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

688.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 $91.3

$44.55 MX$818

105.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.7 $65.7

$42.06 MX$772

56.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$75.5 MX$1,387

60.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$206 $206

$91.4 MX$1,678

125.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,545 $2,545

$986 MX$18.1K

158.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,443 $2,443

$385 MX$7,072

534.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,518 $5,518

$1,713 MX$31.5K

222.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,275 $4,275

$1,108 MX$20.4K

285.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,211 $7,211

$4,016 MX$73.7K

79.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,930 $6,930

$6,247 MX$114.7K

10.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,173 $4,173

$758 MX$13.9K

450.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

11.45

-40.09%

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

Last update for Los Angeles, CA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Angeles, CA

$2.4K 57.8%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 84.2% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Los Angeles, CA

$467 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 44.3% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Angeles, CA

$446 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 69.3% $309

Eating Out

Los Angeles, CA

$417 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 51.1% $213

Clothing & Footwear

Los Angeles, CA

$218 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 47.6% $104

Getting Around

Los Angeles, CA

$124 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 57.9% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Los Angeles, CA

$114 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 34% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,545 in Los Angeles, CA and $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Angeles, CA pays 450% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $122 in Los Angeles, CA vs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $467 vs $260 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Angeles, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:53 1:53 AM

03:53 3:53 AM

2 h ahead of Los Angeles, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,030,904

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Los Angeles, CA Playa del Carmen 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Los Angeles, CA
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 Angeles, CA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 250% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 450% higher in Los Angeles, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,545 in Los Angeles, CA versus $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 279% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,678 in Los Angeles, CA versus $208 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Los Angeles, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Los Angeles, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 250% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.