Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Memphis, TN and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,501 in Memphis, TN, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Memphis, TN
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Memphis, TN Living Index
59

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

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Memphis, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,501

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,501 per month in Memphis, TN vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Memphis, TN $2,501
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,673 per month in Memphis, TN vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Memphis, TN $3,673
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,844 per month in Memphis, TN vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Memphis, TN $4,844
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Memphis, TN costs about 107% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Memphis, TN sits 85% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.99 $17.99

$10.76 MX$199

67.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 $74.5

$43.03 MX$795

73.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 $12.16

$11.79 MX$218

3.14%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$3.87 MX$71.4

46.77%

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

$2.40 $2.40

$1.37 MX$25.29

75.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.84 MX$15.44

136.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.10 MX$57.3

129.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$5.07 MX$93.6

58.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.44 MX$26.55

-34.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.23 MX$41.23

41.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.47 MX$27.17

169.39%

Eggs

$3.77 $3.77

$2.53 MX$46.71

49.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$7.30 MX$135

80.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.45 $11.45

$7.86 MX$145

45.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.84 $18.84

$12.79 MX$236

47.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.90 MX$53.6

95.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.44 MX$26.53

18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$2.55 MX$47.07

123.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.06 MX$38.03

141.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.00 MX$36.97

57.00%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.01 MX$37.07

107.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.19 MX$22.02

121.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.26 MX$23.23

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.87 $10.87

$4.40 MX$81.4

147.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 $12.94

$9.59 MX$177

34.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.59 MX$29.41

10.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.81 MX$51.9

-43.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.57 MX$10.47

78.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.55 $38.55

$27.82 MX$514

38.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$4.98 MX$92.1

-59.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$3.50 MX$64.6

-59.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.36 $20.36

$5.40 MX$99.8

277.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.47 MX$27.08

-30.61%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

77.97%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

13.30%

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

$187 $187

$84.2 MX$1,556

122.24%

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

$86.3 $86.3

$23.99 MX$443

259.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.8 $75.8

$29.02 MX$536

161.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.47 $31.47

$63.0 MX$1,164

-50.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.62 $16.62

$29.14 MX$539

-42.96%

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$4.94 MX$91.3

198.79%

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

$1,720 $1,720

$204 MX$3,763

744.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

529.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.08 $47.08

$43.60 MX$806

7.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.58 $33.58

$43.12 MX$797

-22.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 $82.2

$75.8 MX$1,400

8.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 $156

$88.6 MX$1,637

75.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 $1,448

$1,008 MX$18.6K

43.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,175 $1,175

$374 MX$6,911

214.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,073 $2,073

$1,708 MX$31.6K

21.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 $1,900

$1,106 MX$20.4K

71.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,755 $1,755

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-55.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,351 $1,351

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-78.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,523 $3,523

$754 MX$13.9K

367.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

11.45

-42.36%

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

Last update for Memphis, TN: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Memphis, TN

$1.2K 47%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 68.2% $801

Groceries & Markets

Memphis, TN

$404 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 36% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Memphis, TN

$349 14%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 60.7% $212

Eating Out

Memphis, TN

$318 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 36.3% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Memphis, TN

$143 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 21.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Memphis, TN

$61 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 19.5% $12

Getting Around

Memphis, TN

$52 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 1.6% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,448 in Memphis, TN versus $1,008 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 run about 367% higher in Memphis, TN, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Memphis, TN versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $404 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Memphis, TN

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:56 5:56 PM

Same time as Memphis, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

633,104

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Memphis, TN Playa del Carmen 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Memphis, TN
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

Memphis, TN vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,501 in Memphis, TN, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 107% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,752 per month in Memphis, TN and $1,816 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,720 per month in Memphis, TN and $204 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 $1,210, than in Memphis, TN at $2,501. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Memphis, TN 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 $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $2,501 in Memphis, TN. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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