Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madison, WI and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,931 in Madison, WI, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Madison, WI
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Madison, WI Living Index
57

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

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Madison, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,931

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,931 per month in Madison, WI vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Madison, WI $2,931
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $4,224 per month in Madison, WI vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Madison, WI $4,224
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,517 per month in Madison, WI vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Madison, WI $5,517
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Madison, WI costs about 144% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Madison, WI sits 117% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 $19.92

$10.67 MX$199

86.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 $65.0

$43.80 MX$815

48.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 $13.17

$11.79 MX$219

11.70%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$3.79 MX$70.5

49.34%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$1.30 MX$24.14

132.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.83 MX$15.51

195.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.62 $6.62

$3.15 MX$58.6

110.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 $7.72

$4.93 MX$91.8

56.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.41 MX$26.22

-32.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.20 MX$40.86

44.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$1.47 MX$27.40

184.35%

Eggs

$3.72 $3.72

$2.50 MX$46.46

48.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.49 $14.49

$7.29 MX$136

98.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.15 $12.15

$7.95 MX$148

52.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.36 $20.36

$12.86 MX$239

58.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.90 MX$53.9

58.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.38 MX$25.74

17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.49 MX$46.35

98.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.03 MX$37.77

130.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.02 MX$37.68

29.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.90 MX$35.42

48.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.14 MX$21.30

82.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.24 MX$23.05

80.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.89 $10.89

$4.27 MX$79.5

155.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.73 $15.73

$9.81 MX$183

60.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.59 MX$29.51

68.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.75 MX$51.1

60.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.51 MX$9.58

280.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 $65.5

$27.39 MX$510

139.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$4.76 MX$88.6

-17.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.25 MX$60.5

-39.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.61 $44.61

$5.39 MX$100

727.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.53 MX$28.44

-30.07%

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

$30.3K $30.3K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

42.88%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

9.65%

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

$266 $266

$83.5 MX$1,554

218.42%

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

$45.57 $45.57

$23.19 MX$431

96.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.5 $80.5

$27.61 MX$514

191.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 $51.6

$56.4 MX$1,050

-8.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.12 $10.12

$28.19 MX$525

-64.10%

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 $14.70

$5.00 MX$93.1

194.00%

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

$1,594 $1,594

$207 MX$3,854

669.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K $21.6K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

313.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 $63.4

$43.45 MX$809

45.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.65 $46.65

$42.54 MX$792

9.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$72.8 MX$1,354

47.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$88.4 MX$1,645

37.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 $1,723

$995 MX$18.5K

73.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 $1,465

$382 MX$7,116

283.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,146 $3,146

$1,674 MX$31.2K

87.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,438 $2,438

$1,081 MX$20.1K

125.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,429 $4,429

$3,909 MX$72.7K

13.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,478 $2,478

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-59.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,430 $4,430

$832 MX$15.5K

432.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

11.45

-40.52%

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

Last update for Madison, WI: 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

Madison, WI

$1.5K 50%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 73.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Madison, WI

$416 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 38.2% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madison, WI

$392 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 65.7% $258

Eating Out

Madison, WI

$337 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 40.6% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Madison, WI

$152 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 27.1% $41

Getting Around

Madison, WI

$87 3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 42% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Madison, WI

$81 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 18% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,723 in Madison, WI 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.

Salaries in Madison, WI are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Madison, WI versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $416 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Madison, WI

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

00:25 12:25 AM

1 h ahead of Madison, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

248,951

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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 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 →

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Madison, WI Playa del Carmen 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Madison, WI
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

Madison, WI vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,931 in Madison, WI, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 59% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,396 per month in Madison, WI 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 $1,723 in Madison, WI.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,594 per month in Madison, WI and $207 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 Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Madison, WI at $2,931. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madison, WI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $2,931 in Madison, WI. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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