Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Missoula, MT and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,609 in Missoula, MT, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Missoula, MT
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Missoula, MT Living Index
57

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

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Missoula, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,609

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,609 in Missoula, MT versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Missoula, MT $2,609
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,087 in Missoula, MT versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Missoula, MT $4,087
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,565 in Missoula, MT versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Missoula, MT $5,565
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Missoula, MT is roughly 117% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Missoula, MT is 93% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.73 $16.73

$10.67 MX$199

56.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$43.80 MX$815

71.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.27 $9.27

$11.79 MX$219

-21.37%

Cappuccino

$4.37 $4.37

$3.79 MX$70.5

15.30%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$1.30 MX$24.14

138.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.83 MX$15.51

181.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 $5.86

$3.15 MX$58.6

86.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.93 $5.93

$4.93 MX$91.8

20.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.41 MX$26.22

-20.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.20 MX$40.86

56.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$1.47 MX$27.40

238.78%

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$2.50 MX$46.47

70.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.81 $24.81

$7.29 MX$136

240.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.67 $9.67

$7.95 MX$148

21.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.98 $18.98

$12.86 MX$239

47.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.90 MX$53.9

65.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.38 MX$25.74

5.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$2.49 MX$46.36

161.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.03 MX$37.78

83.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.02 MX$37.69

15.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.90 MX$35.42

55.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.14 MX$21.30

111.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.24 MX$23.06

214.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.50 $10.50

$4.27 MX$79.5

145.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.82 $24.82

$9.81 MX$183

153.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.59 MX$29.51

24.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.75 MX$51.1

59.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 $5.13

$4.76 MX$88.6

7.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.99 $4.99

$3.25 MX$60.5

53.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.29 $39.29

$5.39 MX$100

628.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.53 MX$28.44

-28.76%

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

$32.3K $32.3K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

52.31%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

5.50%

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

$139 $139

$83.5 MX$1,554

66.27%

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

$52.7 $52.7

$23.19 MX$431

127.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$27.61 MX$514

150.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.22 $49.22

$56.4 MX$1,050

-12.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.25 $22.25

$28.19 MX$525

-21.07%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$5.00 MX$93.1

175.00%

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

$2,009 $2,009

$207 MX$3,854

870.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

239.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 $66.4

$43.45 MX$809

52.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 $44.46

$42.54 MX$792

4.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$72.8 MX$1,354

43.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$88.4 MX$1,645

68.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 $1,522

$995 MX$18.5K

53.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 $1,324

$382 MX$7,116

246.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,992 $2,992

$1,674 MX$31.2K

78.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,649 $2,649

$1,081 MX$20.1K

145.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,211 $4,211

$3,909 MX$72.7K

7.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,475 $3,475

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-43.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,666 $3,666

$832 MX$15.5K

340.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

11.45

-40.26%

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

Last update for Missoula, MT: November 1, 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

Missoula, MT

$1.3K 50.7%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 71.1% $941

Groceries & Markets

Missoula, MT

$477 18.3%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 46.1% $220

Eating Out

Missoula, MT

$277 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 27.7% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Missoula, MT

$261 10%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 48.5% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Missoula, MT

$164 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 32.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Missoula, MT

$77 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 13.4% $10

Getting Around

Missoula, MT

$30 * 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 67.7% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,522 in Missoula, MT and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Missoula, MT pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Missoula, MT vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Missoula, MT

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

18:30 6:30 PM

2 h ahead of Missoula, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,489

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Missoula, MT Playa del Carmen 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Missoula, MT
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

Missoula, MT vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 54% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Missoula, MT is about 4.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,522 in Missoula, MT versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,009 in Missoula, MT versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,609 in Missoula, MT, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Missoula, MT. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Missoula, MT, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Missoula, MT on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.