Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester, NH and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,963 in Manchester, NH, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Manchester, NH
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Manchester, NH Living Index
58

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

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Manchester, NH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,963

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,963 in Manchester, NH versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Manchester, NH $2,963
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,232 in Manchester, NH versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Manchester, NH $4,232
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,501 in Manchester, NH versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Manchester, NH $5,501
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Manchester, NH is roughly 146% 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: Manchester, NH is 118% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.64 $26.64

$10.92 MX$204

143.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 $79.0

$43.37 MX$808

82.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 $11.06

$11.78 MX$220

-6.11%

Cappuccino

$5.51 $5.51

$3.81 MX$71.0

44.62%

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

$2.39 $2.39

$1.28 MX$23.90

86.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.78 MX$14.59

161.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$3.17 MX$59.0

88.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 $7.10

$4.93 MX$92.0

44.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.41 MX$26.22

-27.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.22 MX$41.33

30.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$1.42 MX$26.42

233.80%

Eggs

$4.54 $4.54

$2.52 MX$47.03

80.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 $9.89

$7.26 MX$135

36.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.71 $10.71

$7.70 MX$143

39.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.53 $19.53

$12.69 MX$237

53.90%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 $5.82

$2.78 MX$51.9

109.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.37 MX$25.50

69.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.55 MX$47.55

76.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$2.12 MX$39.58

186.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.94 MX$36.13

26.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.89 MX$35.16

69.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.15 MX$21.37

86.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.18 MX$21.98

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.66 $9.66

$4.30 MX$80.1

124.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.75 $14.75

$9.95 MX$185

48.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.58 MX$29.52

22.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.67 MX$49.79

89.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.55 MX$10.31

258.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 $61.0

$26.62 MX$496

129.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 $3.12

$4.97 MX$92.6

-37.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 $1.68

$3.33 MX$62.1

-49.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.19 $30.19

$5.36 MX$99.8

463.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.44 MX$26.92

-35.42%

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

$33.5K $33.5K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

62.33%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

8.38%

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

$230 $230

$84.8 MX$1,581

171.27%

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

$62.3 $62.3

$23.41 MX$436

166.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.8 $69.8

$28.66 MX$534

143.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.74 $39.74

$57.1 MX$1,063

-30.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.23 $39.23

$28.91 MX$539

35.70%

Cinema Ticket

$11.35 $11.35

$5.14 MX$95.8

120.82%

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

$1,194 $1,194

$207 MX$3,851

477.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

485.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.75 $44.75

$43.35 MX$808

3.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.66 $45.66

$41.44 MX$772

10.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 $90.4

$74.2 MX$1,383

21.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$89.3 MX$1,664

23.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,803 $1,803

$980 MX$18.3K

84.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,543 $1,543

$381 MX$7,099

305.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 $2,878

$1,708 MX$31.8K

68.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,348 $2,348

$1,075 MX$20.0K

118.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,181 $3,181

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-19.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,940 $2,940

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-52.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,254 $4,254

$735 MX$13.7K

479.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

11.45

-45.76%

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

Last update for Manchester, NH: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester, NH

$1.5K 52.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 75.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Manchester, NH

$410 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 37.8% $155

Eating Out

Manchester, NH

$374 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 45.9% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester, NH

$362 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 62.2% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester, NH

$131 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 14.6% $19

Getting Around

Manchester, NH

$80 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 37.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester, NH

$62 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 7.8% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,803 in Manchester, NH and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester, NH pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Manchester, NH vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Manchester, NH

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:18 7:18 PM

18:18 6:18 PM

1 h behind Manchester, NH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

109,497

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Manchester, NH Playa del Carmen 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Manchester, NH
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

Manchester, NH vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Manchester, NH is about 5.8 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: $1,803 in Manchester, NH versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,194 in Manchester, NH 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 61% higher in Manchester, NH. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,963 in Manchester, NH, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Manchester, NH. 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 59% less than in Manchester, NH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.