Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,416 in Los Banos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Los Banos, CA
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Los Banos, CA Living Index
57

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

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Los Banos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,416

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,416 in Los Banos, CA versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Los Banos, CA $2,416
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,466 in Los Banos, CA versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Los Banos, CA $3,466
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,516 in Los Banos, CA versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Los Banos, CA $4,516
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Los Banos, CA is roughly 101% 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 Banos, CA is 79% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.83 $14.83

$10.67 MX$199

38.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$43.80 MX$815

129.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$11.79 MX$219

-16.20%

Cappuccino

$5.15 $5.15

$3.79 MX$70.5

35.88%

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

$2.55 $2.55

$1.30 MX$24.14

96.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.83 MX$15.51

134.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 $7.83

$3.15 MX$58.6

148.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$4.93 MX$91.8

66.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.41 MX$26.22

-27.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.20 MX$40.86

48.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.47 MX$27.40

106.80%

Eggs

$1.68 $1.68

$2.50 MX$46.46

-32.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 $8.29

$7.29 MX$136

13.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 $7.52

$7.95 MX$148

-5.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.42 $12.42

$12.86 MX$239

-3.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.90 MX$53.9

17.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.38 MX$25.74

-2.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.49 MX$46.35

13.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.03 MX$37.77

35.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.02 MX$37.68

41.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.90 MX$35.42

30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.14 MX$21.30

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.24 MX$23.05

106.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.96 $10.96

$4.27 MX$79.5

156.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.86 $13.86

$9.81 MX$183

41.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.59 MX$29.51

18.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 $1.36

$2.75 MX$51.1

-50.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.51 MX$9.58

296.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.4 $52.4

$27.39 MX$510

91.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 $2.62

$4.76 MX$88.6

-44.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.25 MX$60.5

-52.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.57 $35.57

$5.39 MX$100

559.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.53 MX$28.44

-7.19%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

44.80%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

14.95%

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

$217 $217

$83.5 MX$1,554

160.14%

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

$44.11 $44.11

$23.19 MX$431

90.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.3 $87.3

$27.61 MX$514

216.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.88 $44.88

$56.4 MX$1,050

-20.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$14.84 $14.84

$5.00 MX$93.1

196.80%

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

$2,511 $2,511

$207 MX$3,854

1112.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K $26.2K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

399.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.84 $23.84

$43.45 MX$809

-45.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.35 $22.35

$42.54 MX$792

-47.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.0 $52.0

$72.8 MX$1,354

-28.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.1 $61.1

$88.4 MX$1,645

-30.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 $1,598

$995 MX$18.5K

60.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 $1,262

$382 MX$7,116

230.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,744 $2,744

$1,674 MX$31.2K

63.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 $1,924

$1,081 MX$20.1K

78.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,823 $2,823

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-27.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,367 $2,367

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-61.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,492 $6,492

$832 MX$15.5K

679.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.47

11.45

-43.49%

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

Last update for Los Banos, CA: October 31, 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

Los Banos, CA

$1.3K 52.2%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 69.7% $880

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Banos, CA

$349 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 61.5% $214

Groceries & Markets

Los Banos, CA

$305 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 15.5% $47

Eating Out

Los Banos, CA

$284 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 29.4% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Los Banos, CA

$75 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 10.9% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Los Banos, CA

$72 3%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 55.1% $40

Getting Around

Los Banos, CA

$71 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 28.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,598 in Los Banos, CA and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Banos, CA pays about 7.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $100 in Los Banos, CA vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Banos, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

04:26 4:26 AM

3 h ahead of Los Banos, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,972

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Los Banos, CA Playa del Carmen 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Los Banos, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Los Banos, CA is about 7.8 times higher, 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: $1,598 in Los Banos, CA versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,511 in Los Banos, CA versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Los Banos, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,416 in Los Banos, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Los Banos, CA. 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 50% less than in Los Banos, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.