Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $4,787 in Los Gatos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $43,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

232

Cost of Living Index in Los Gatos, CA
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Los Gatos, 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 Gatos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,787

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,787 per month in Los Gatos, CA vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Los Gatos, CA $4,787
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $7,200 per month in Los Gatos, CA vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Los Gatos, CA $7,200
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $9,613 per month in Los Gatos, CA vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Los Gatos, CA $9,613
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Los Gatos, CA costs about 298% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Los Gatos, CA sits 254% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.47 $25.47

$10.67 MX$199

138.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.0 $98.0

$43.80 MX$815

123.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.24 $15.24

$11.79 MX$219

29.26%

Cappuccino

$6.51 $6.51

$3.79 MX$70.5

71.77%

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

$2.92 $2.92

$1.30 MX$24.14

124.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$0.83 MX$15.51

209.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 $7.90

$3.15 MX$58.6

150.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.93 MX$91.8

63.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.41 MX$26.22

-9.22%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.20 MX$40.86

90.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$1.47 MX$27.40

224.49%

Eggs

$6.62 $6.62

$2.50 MX$46.47

164.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.66 $24.66

$7.29 MX$136

238.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 $11.61

$7.95 MX$148

46.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 $13.16

$12.86 MX$239

2.33%

Apples (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$2.90 MX$53.9

84.48%

Banana (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.38 MX$25.74

129.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.49 MX$46.36

97.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.03 MX$37.78

192.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.02 MX$37.69

62.87%

Onion (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.90 MX$35.42

108.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.14 MX$21.30

167.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.24 MX$23.06

112.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$4.27 MX$79.5

180.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.10 $13.10

$9.81 MX$183

33.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.59 MX$29.51

33.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.75 MX$51.1

-10.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 $4.11

$4.76 MX$88.6

-13.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$3.25 MX$60.5

-43.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.36 $35.36

$5.39 MX$100

556.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.53 MX$28.44

2.61%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

31.73%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

15.34%

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

$371 $371

$83.5 MX$1,554

343.83%

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

$58.7 $58.7

$23.19 MX$431

152.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 $64.3

$27.61 MX$514

132.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$145 $145

$56.4 MX$1,050

157.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$16.95 $16.95

$5.00 MX$93.1

239.00%

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

$2,150 $2,150

$207 MX$3,854

938.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K $20.3K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

287.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$43.45 MX$809

18.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.25 $39.25

$42.54 MX$792

-7.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.2 $75.2

$72.8 MX$1,354

3.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.2 $60.2

$88.4 MX$1,645

-31.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,504 $3,504

$995 MX$18.5K

252.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,124 $3,124

$382 MX$7,116

717.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,054 $6,054

$1,081 MX$20.1K

460.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,481 $3,481

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-10.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

11.45

-41.57%

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

Last update for Los Gatos, CA: 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

Los Gatos, CA

$3.1K 65.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 87.8% $2.7K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Gatos, CA

$493 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 72.8% $359

Groceries & Markets

Los Gatos, CA

$470 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 45.3% $213

Eating Out

Los Gatos, CA

$405 8.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 50.6% $205

Sport & Entertainment

Los Gatos, CA

$179 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 62.9% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Los Gatos, CA

$102 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 9.3% $9.5

Getting Around

Los Gatos, CA

$13 * 0.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 281% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,504 in Los Gatos, CA versus $995 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Los Gatos, CA versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $470 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Gatos, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

14:52 2:52 PM

3 h ahead of Los Gatos, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,222

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Los Gatos, CA Playa del Carmen 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Los Gatos, CA costs about 298% 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 $7,181 per month in Los Gatos, CA and $1,804 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $3,504 in Los Gatos, CA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Los Gatos, CA and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 83% more in Los Gatos, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Los Gatos, CA at $4,787. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Los Gatos, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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