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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Merced, CA is 57.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 95.1% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Merced, CA is 47.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 59.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Merced, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.09 $20.09
$11.73 MX$222
71.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.35 $40.35
$41.52 MX$785
-2.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.62 $11.62
$10.57 MX$200
9.93%
Cappuccino
$5.93 $5.93
$3.49 MX$65.9
69.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 $3.07
$1.45 MX$27.33
111.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 $1.94
$0.97 MX$18.33
100.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.22 $9.22
$3.03 MX$57.2
204.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.95 $9.95
$4.59 MX$86.8
116.78%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Merced, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 $1.18
$1.42 MX$26.87
-16.90%
White Bread (500g)
$2.84 $2.84
$1.87 MX$35.43
51.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.17 $3.17
$1.54 MX$29.2
105.84%
Eggs
$4.89 $4.89
$2.6 MX$49.21
88.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.16 $11.16
$8.32 MX$157
34.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.57 $15.57
$8.54 MX$161
82.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.37 $17.37
$10.67 MX$202
62.79%
Apples (1kg)
$5.95 $5.95
$2.66 MX$50.2
123.68%
Banana (1kg)
$2.5 $2.5
$1.51 MX$28.5
65.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.49 $1.49
$1.9 MX$35.87
-21.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.37 $4.37
$2.19 MX$41.45
99.54%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 $2.11
$1.78 MX$33.7
18.54%
Onion (1kg)
$3.3 $3.3
$2.17 MX$41.05
52.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 $0.97
$1.07 MX$20.14
-9.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.86 $2.86
$1.09 MX$20.53
162.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.83 $9.83
$4.17 MX$78.8
135.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.17 $18.17
$8.75 MX$165
107.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.36 $2.36
$1.69 MX$31.91
39.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.35 $3.35
$2.53 MX$47.74
32.41%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Merced, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.47 $1.47
$0.51 MX$9.59
188.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$59 $59
$26.97 MX$510
118.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.01 $3.01
$3.25 MX$61.4
-7.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.63 $1.63
$2.49 MX$47.01
-34.54%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.1 $27.1
$3.22 MX$60.8
741.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 $1.24
$1.26 MX$23.87
-1.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K $30.5K
$29.8K MX$564.1K
2.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.4K $26.4K
$23.4K MX$442.5K
12.88%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Merced, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$280 $280
$84.2 MX$1,592
231.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.62 $35.62
$22.8 MX$431
56.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$68.1 $68.1
$30.04 MX$568
126.56%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Merced, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.71 $33.71
$51.4 MX$972
-34.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.79 $13.79
$18.28 MX$346
-24.56%
Cinema Ticket
$15.7 $15.7
$4.97 MX$94.1
215.90%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Merced, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,959 $1,959
$197 MX$3,719
895.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$26.3K $26.3K
$5,254 MX$99.3K
399.75%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Merced, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.7 $52.7
$35.81 MX$677
47.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.79 $44.79
$39.43 MX$745
13.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.6 $87.6
$80.9 MX$1,529
8.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 $139
$86.3 MX$1,631
61.12%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Merced, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,593 $1,593
$968 MX$18.3K
64.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,087 $1,087
$478 MX$9,037
127.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,989 $1,989
$1,631 MX$30.8K
21.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,920 $1,920
$1,197 MX$22.6K
60.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,963 $2,963
$3,137 MX$59.3K
-5.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,873 $2,873
$7,586 MX$143.4K
-62.13%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Merced, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,483 $3,483
$805 MX$15.2K
332.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.36
11.42
-44.31%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Merced, CA: November 5, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2025

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