Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moab, UT and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,104 in Moab, UT, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Moab, UT
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Moab, UT Living Index
57

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

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Moab, UT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,104

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,104 in Moab, UT versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Moab, UT $2,104
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,381 in Moab, UT versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Moab, UT $3,381
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,657 in Moab, UT versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Moab, UT $4,657
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Moab, UT is roughly 75% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Moab, UT is 56% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.15 $20.15

$10.67 MX$199

88.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 $61.1

$43.80 MX$815

39.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 $13.20

$11.79 MX$219

11.96%

Cappuccino

$5.02 $5.02

$3.79 MX$70.5

32.45%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$1.30 MX$24.14

101.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.83 MX$15.51

119.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.15 MX$58.6

87.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 $6.14

$4.93 MX$91.8

24.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.41 MX$26.22

-36.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.20 MX$40.86

40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.47 MX$27.40

23.13%

Eggs

$2.65 $2.65

$2.50 MX$46.47

6.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.60 $8.60

$7.29 MX$136

17.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.01 $9.01

$7.95 MX$148

13.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.16 $15.16

$12.86 MX$239

17.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$2.90 MX$53.9

83.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.38 MX$25.74

11.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.49 MX$46.36

30.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.03 MX$37.78

83.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.02 MX$37.69

7.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.90 MX$35.42

15.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.14 MX$21.30

78.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.24 MX$23.06

79.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.90 $10.90

$4.27 MX$79.5

155.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.08 $13.08

$9.81 MX$183

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.59 MX$29.51

24.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.75 MX$51.1

41.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.25 MX$60.5

-9.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.53 MX$28.44

-39.87%

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

$42.0K $42.0K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

98.15%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

60.64%

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

$170 $170

$83.5 MX$1,554

104.19%

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

$70.4 $70.4

$23.19 MX$431

203.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.1 $73.1

$27.61 MX$514

164.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$5.00 MX$93.1

198.60%

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

$1,147 $1,147

$207 MX$3,854

453.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$43.45 MX$809

16.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.31 $26.31

$42.54 MX$792

-38.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 $84.4

$72.8 MX$1,354

15.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 $98.4

$88.4 MX$1,645

11.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 $1,113

$995 MX$18.5K

11.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 $977

$382 MX$7,116

155.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$1,674 MX$31.2K

43.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,215 $2,215

$1,081 MX$20.1K

104.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,847 $4,847

$3,909 MX$72.7K

24.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,513 $4,513

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-26.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.91

11.45

-39.65%

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

Last update for Moab, UT: November 2, 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

Moab, UT

$977 46.4%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 60.9% $594

Groceries & Markets

Moab, UT

$331 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 22.3% $74

Eating Out

Moab, UT

$321 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 37.5% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moab, UT

$314 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 57.2% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Moab, UT

$117 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 4.8% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Moab, UT

$30 * 1.4%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 123% $37

Getting Around

Moab, UT

$15 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 244% $36

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 $1,113 in Moab, UT and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Moab, UT vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Moab, UT

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

2 h ahead of Moab, UT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,300

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Moab, UT Playa del Carmen 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Moab, UT
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

Moab, UT vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,156 in Moab, UT 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: $1,113 in Moab, UT 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 29% higher in Moab, UT. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,104 per month in Moab, UT versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,104 in Moab, UT, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Moab, UT. 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 Moab, UT, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.