Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,580 in Martinez, CA, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Martinez, CA
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Martinez, 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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Martinez, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,580

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,580 in Martinez, CA versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Martinez, CA $2,580
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,801 in Martinez, CA versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Martinez, CA $3,801
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,022 in Martinez, CA versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Martinez, CA $5,022
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Martinez, CA is roughly 115% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Martinez, CA is 91% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.72 $19.72

$10.67 MX$199

84.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$43.80 MX$815

71.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.56 $11.56

$11.79 MX$219

-1.95%

Cappuccino

$5.43 $5.43

$3.79 MX$70.5

43.27%

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

$3.20 $3.20

$1.30 MX$24.14

146.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.83 MX$15.51

90.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.18 $5.18

$3.15 MX$58.6

64.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.33 $7.33

$4.93 MX$91.8

48.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.41 MX$26.22

-24.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.20 MX$40.86

63.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$1.47 MX$27.40

229.25%

Eggs

$4.20 $4.20

$2.50 MX$46.46

68.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.53 $12.53

$7.29 MX$136

71.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 $11.69

$7.95 MX$148

47.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 $16.23

$12.86 MX$239

26.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.90 MX$53.9

71.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.38 MX$25.74

21.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.49 MX$46.35

61.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.03 MX$37.77

126.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.02 MX$37.68

33.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.90 MX$35.42

32.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.14 MX$21.30

64.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.24 MX$23.05

79.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.13 $9.13

$4.27 MX$79.5

113.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.78 $14.78

$9.81 MX$183

50.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.59 MX$29.51

14.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.75 MX$51.1

15.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.51 MX$9.58

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.5 $51.5

$27.39 MX$510

88.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 $3.59

$4.76 MX$88.6

-24.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$3.25 MX$60.5

-47.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.39 $32.39

$5.39 MX$100

500.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.53 MX$28.44

-5.88%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

31.22%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

13.88%

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

$203 $203

$83.5 MX$1,554

143.11%

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

$57.3 $57.3

$23.19 MX$431

147.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$27.61 MX$514

151.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.10 $40.10

$56.4 MX$1,050

-28.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$14.20 $14.20

$5.00 MX$93.1

184.00%

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

$1,374 $1,374

$207 MX$3,854

563.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K $18.9K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

262.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$43.45 MX$809

21.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.10 $41.10

$42.54 MX$792

-3.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 $82.3

$72.8 MX$1,354

13.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$88.4 MX$1,645

27.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 $2,036

$995 MX$18.5K

104.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$382 MX$7,116

231.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,652 $3,652

$1,674 MX$31.2K

118.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,142 $2,142

$1,081 MX$20.1K

98.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,823 $2,823

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-27.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,381 $2,381

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-61.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

11.45

-42.45%

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

Last update for Martinez, CA: November 3, 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

Martinez, CA

$1.3K 49.2%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 69.9% $887

Groceries & Markets

Martinez, CA

$394 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 34.6% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Martinez, CA

$330 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 59.3% $195

Eating Out

Martinez, CA

$317 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 36.9% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Martinez, CA

$130 5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 14.5% $19

Getting Around

Martinez, CA

$72 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 29.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Martinez, CA

$68 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 3% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,036 in Martinez, CA and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75 in Martinez, CA vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $394 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Martinez, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

10:48 10:48 AM

3 h ahead of Martinez, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,297

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Martinez, CA Playa del Carmen 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Martinez, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,580 in Martinez, CA and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 53% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,870 in Martinez, CA and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,036 in Martinez, CA versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Martinez, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $75 in Martinez, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,580 in Martinez, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Martinez, 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 53% less than in Martinez, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.