Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merrill, WI and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,627 in Merrill, WI, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Merrill, WI
Learn more

Merrill, WI Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Merrill, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,627

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,627 per month in Merrill, WI vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Merrill, WI $2,627
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,823 per month in Merrill, WI vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Merrill, WI $3,823
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,019 per month in Merrill, WI vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Merrill, WI $5,019
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Merrill, WI costs about 118% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Merrill, WI sits 93% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.24 $20.24

$10.92 MX$203

85.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 $74.3

$43.37 MX$805

71.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 $11.59

$11.78 MX$219

-1.61%

Cappuccino

$5.18 $5.18

$3.81 MX$70.7

35.96%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.28 MX$23.81

105.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.78 MX$14.54

151.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.17 MX$58.8

93.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.31 $7.31

$4.93 MX$91.7

48.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.41 MX$26.12

-26.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.22 MX$41.17

57.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$1.42 MX$26.32

201.41%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$2.52 MX$46.85

63.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.29 $12.29

$7.26 MX$135

69.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 $11.90

$7.70 MX$143

54.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.86 $16.86

$12.69 MX$236

32.86%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.78 MX$51.7

85.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.37 MX$25.41

18.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$2.55 MX$47.37

66.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.12 MX$39.43

115.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.94 MX$36.00

40.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.89 MX$35.02

62.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.15 MX$21.29

85.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.18 MX$21.89

86.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.09 $10.09

$4.30 MX$79.8

134.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$9.95 MX$185

48.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.58 MX$29.41

25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.67 MX$49.60

22.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.55 MX$10.28

256.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 $60.7

$26.62 MX$494

128.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$4.97 MX$92.3

-38.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$3.33 MX$61.9

-48.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.67 $29.67

$5.36 MX$99.5

453.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.44 MX$26.82

-31.94%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

34.58%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

12.41%

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

$202 $202

$84.8 MX$1,575

137.78%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$23.41 MX$435

150.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$28.66 MX$532

146.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.91 $39.91

$57.1 MX$1,059

-30.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.89 $8.89

$28.91 MX$537

-69.25%

Cinema Ticket

$14.05 $14.05

$5.14 MX$95.4

173.35%

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

$1,354 $1,354

$207 MX$3,836

555.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

497.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$43.35 MX$805

21.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.23 $41.23

$41.44 MX$770

-0.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 $89.8

$74.2 MX$1,378

21.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$89.3 MX$1,657

26.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,560 $1,560

$980 MX$18.2K

59.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,296 $1,296

$381 MX$7,072

240.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,532 $2,532

$1,708 MX$31.7K

48.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,091 $2,091

$1,075 MX$20.0K

94.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,840 $2,840

$3,943 MX$73.2K

-27.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,326 $2,326

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-62.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,292 $7,292

$735 MX$13.6K

892.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.45

-42.62%

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

Last update for Merrill, WI: October 27, 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

Merrill, WI

$1.3K 49.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 70.6% $915

Groceries & Markets

Merrill, WI

$396 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 35.7% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merrill, WI

$331 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 58.6% $194

Eating Out

Merrill, WI

$322 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 37.2% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Merrill, WI

$133 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 16.2% $22

Getting Around

Merrill, WI

$80 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 37.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Merrill, WI

$68 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,560 in Merrill, WI versus $980 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 Merrill, WI are about 9.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Merrill, WI versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $396 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merrill, WI

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

1 h ahead of Merrill, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,000

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 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 November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Merrill, WI Playa del Carmen 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Merrill, WI
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

Merrill, WI vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Merrill, WI is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,941 per month in Merrill, WI and $1,806 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 $980 there versus $1,560 in Merrill, WI.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Merrill, WI and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,627 in Merrill, WI and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 54% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Merrill, WI at $2,627. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Merrill, WI 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, Merrill, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.