Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manteca, CA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,780 in Manteca, CA, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Manteca, CA
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Manteca, 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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Manteca, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,780

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,780 per month in Manteca, CA vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Manteca, CA $2,780
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,936 per month in Manteca, CA vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Manteca, CA $3,936
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,091 per month in Manteca, CA vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Manteca, CA $5,091
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Manteca, CA costs about 131% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Manteca, CA sits 106% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 $14.03

$10.67 MX$199

31.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.43 $35.43

$43.80 MX$815

-19.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 $12.03

$11.79 MX$219

2.04%

Cappuccino

$5.69 $5.69

$3.79 MX$70.5

50.13%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$1.30 MX$24.14

138.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.83 MX$15.51

197.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.15 $9.15

$3.15 MX$58.6

190.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.94 $9.94

$4.93 MX$91.8

101.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.41 MX$26.22

16.31%

White Bread (500g)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.20 MX$40.86

99.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.47 MX$27.40

182.99%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$2.50 MX$46.47

134.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.76 $19.76

$7.29 MX$136

171.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.18 $14.18

$7.95 MX$148

78.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.64 $21.64

$12.86 MX$239

68.27%

Apples (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$2.90 MX$53.9

72.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.38 MX$25.74

40.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$2.49 MX$46.36

114.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$2.03 MX$37.78

169.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.02 MX$37.69

73.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.90 MX$35.42

52.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.14 MX$21.30

108.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.24 MX$23.06

106.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.66 $11.66

$4.27 MX$79.5

173.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.67 $15.67

$9.81 MX$183

59.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.59 MX$29.51

58.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.75 MX$51.1

22.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.51 MX$9.58

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.6 $54.6

$27.39 MX$510

99.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 $3.46

$4.76 MX$88.6

-27.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.01 $3.01

$3.25 MX$60.5

-7.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.44 $29.44

$5.39 MX$100

446.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.53 MX$28.44

0.65%

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

$37.6K $37.6K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

77.03%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

11.19%

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

$273 $273

$83.5 MX$1,554

227.21%

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

$47.67 $47.67

$23.19 MX$431

105.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.7 $81.7

$27.61 MX$514

195.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.43 $44.43

$56.4 MX$1,050

-21.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$16.07 $16.07

$5.00 MX$93.1

221.40%

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

$1,784 $1,784

$207 MX$3,854

761.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K $20.6K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

293.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 $58.7

$43.45 MX$809

35.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.7 $51.7

$42.54 MX$792

21.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$72.8 MX$1,354

40.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$88.4 MX$1,645

35.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 $1,583

$995 MX$18.5K

59.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 $1,278

$382 MX$7,116

234.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,606 $2,606

$1,674 MX$31.2K

55.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,089 $2,089

$1,081 MX$20.1K

93.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,083 $3,083

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-21.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,184 $2,184

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-64.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,294 $5,294

$832 MX$15.5K

536.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.83

11.45

-40.35%

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

Last update for Manteca, 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

Manteca, CA

$1.3K 46%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 70.1% $895

Groceries & Markets

Manteca, CA

$488 17.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 47.3% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manteca, CA

$403 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 66.6% $268

Eating Out

Manteca, CA

$305 11%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 34.2% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Manteca, CA

$149 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 25.5% $38

Getting Around

Manteca, CA

$81 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 37.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Manteca, CA

$77 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 13.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,583 in Manteca, 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.

Salaries in Manteca, CA are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Manteca, CA versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $488 in Manteca, CA vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Manteca, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

14:11 2:11 PM

3 h ahead of Manteca, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,592

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Manteca, CA Playa del Carmen 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Manteca, 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

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

Yes – Manteca, CA is pricier by about 131%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,170 per month in Manteca, 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 $1,583 in Manteca, CA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,780 in Manteca, CA and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 57% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Manteca, CA at $2,780. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manteca, 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.

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