Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monroe, LA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,868 in Monroe, LA, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Monroe, LA
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Monroe, LA Living Index
59

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

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Monroe, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,868

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,868 per month in Monroe, LA vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Monroe, LA $1,868
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,845 per month in Monroe, LA vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Monroe, LA $2,845
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,822 per month in Monroe, LA vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Monroe, LA $3,822
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Monroe, LA costs about 55% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Monroe, LA sits 38% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.80 $16.80

$10.86 MX$201

54.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.32 $39.32

$44.21 MX$817

-11.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 $10.19

$11.76 MX$217

-13.35%

Cappuccino

$3.08 $3.08

$3.68 MX$68.0

-16.30%

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

$1.98 $1.98

$1.34 MX$24.79

47.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.82 MX$15.24

196.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.03 $4.03

$3.06 MX$56.6

31.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$4.94 MX$91.2

24.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.47 MX$27.17

-25.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.22 MX$40.95

23.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.48 MX$27.32

85.81%

Eggs

$3.08 $3.08

$2.49 MX$45.99

23.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.69 $8.69

$7.52 MX$139

15.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 $7.95

$7.96 MX$147

-0.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.71 $15.71

$12.57 MX$232

24.98%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$2.78 MX$51.3

81.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.43 MX$26.37

-0.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.62 MX$48.37

64.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.14 MX$39.49

77.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.02 MX$37.38

34.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.99 MX$36.74

30.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.14 MX$21.01

28.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.20 MX$22.18

55.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.93 $7.93

$4.26 MX$78.7

86.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.25 $13.25

$10.02 MX$185

32.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.54 MX$28.41

17.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.66 MX$49.17

-36.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$4.90 MX$90.6

-48.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.43 MX$63.5

-55.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.83 $23.83

$5.38 MX$99.4

342.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.45 MX$26.76

-37.93%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

30.51%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

15.95%

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

$171 $171

$85.4 MX$1,577

100.27%

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

$53.2 $53.2

$23.46 MX$434

126.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.1 $63.1

$28.43 MX$525

121.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.06 $47.06

$62.2 MX$1,149

-24.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$12.91 $12.91

$5.10 MX$94.3

153.14%

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

$807 $807

$201 MX$3,715

301.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K $19.1K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

384.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.69 $40.69

$44.39 MX$820

-8.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.06 $38.06

$41.35 MX$764

-7.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.3 $63.3

$72.7 MX$1,344

-12.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 $99.4

$89.6 MX$1,656

10.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$984 $984

$979 MX$18.1K

0.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 $812

$373 MX$6,887

117.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 $2,127

$1,681 MX$31.1K

26.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,619 $1,619

$1,095 MX$20.2K

47.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,858 $1,858

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-52.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,763 $1,763

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-71.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,703 $3,703

$738 MX$13.6K

402.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.45

-41.05%

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

Last update for Monroe, LA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monroe, LA

$812 43.5%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 54.1% $440

Groceries & Markets

Monroe, LA

$325 17.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 20.5% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monroe, LA

$287 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 52.2% $150

Eating Out

Monroe, LA

$252 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 20.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Monroe, LA

$109 5.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 2.7% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Monroe, LA

$73 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Monroe, LA

$10 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 408% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $984 in Monroe, LA versus $979 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 402% higher in Monroe, LA, 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 $39.00 in Monroe, LA versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $325 in Monroe, LA vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monroe, LA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:18 2:18 AM

Same time as Monroe, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,702

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 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Monroe, LA Playa del Carmen 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monroe, LA
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

Monroe, LA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monroe, LA costs about 55% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,802 per month in Monroe, LA 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Monroe, LA and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Monroe, LA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Monroe, LA at $1,868. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monroe, LA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,868 in Monroe, LA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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