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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Monrovia, CA is 6.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 103.9% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Monrovia, CA is 30.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 51.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Monrovia, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.1 $15.1
$11.99 MX$227
25.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.42 $35.42
$42.47 MX$803
-16.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.07 $10.07
$10.47 MX$198
-3.82%
Cappuccino
$5.04 $5.04
$3.6 MX$68.2
40.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 $2.05
$1.44 MX$27.16
42.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 $2.05
$0.89 MX$16.79
130.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.13 $8.13
$3.09 MX$58.5
163.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.94 $8.94
$4.58 MX$86.6
95.20%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Monrovia, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.38 MX$26.04
-24.64%
White Bread (500g)
$5.6 $5.6
$1.85 MX$34.9
202.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.52 $4.52
$1.57 MX$29.68
187.90%
Eggs
$4.56 $4.56
$2.55 MX$48.3
78.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.17 $11.17
$8.61 MX$163
29.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.36 $4.36
$8.54 MX$161
-48.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.37 $14.37
$10.98 MX$208
30.87%
Apples (1kg)
$6.32 $6.32
$2.72 MX$51.4
132.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.83 $1.83
$1.51 MX$28.57
21.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 $2.18
$1.88 MX$35.63
15.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.26 $2.26
$2.19 MX$41.42
3.20%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 $2.16
$1.87 MX$35.3
15.51%
Onion (1kg)
$2.23 $2.23
$2.19 MX$41.37
1.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.97 $1.97
$1.07 MX$20.23
84.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 $1.03
$1.09 MX$20.64
-5.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.65 $9.65
$3.96 MX$74.9
143.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.05 $10.05
$8.86 MX$167
13.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 $1.76
$1.72 MX$32.53
2.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.64 $4.64
$2.61 MX$49.37
77.78%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Monrovia, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.94 $1.94
$0.52 MX$9.74
273.08%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.36 $20.36
$26.59 MX$503
-23.43%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.07 $4.07
$3.24 MX$61.2
25.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.78 $2.78
$2.38 MX$44.94
16.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.8 $31.8
$3.11 MX$58.7
922.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.3 $1.3
$1.31 MX$24.85
-0.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.4K $22.4K
$30.3K MX$573K
-26.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22K $22K
$24K MX$453.6K
-8.19%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monrovia, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$205 $205
$84.2 MX$1,592
142.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$55.3 $55.3
$22.14 MX$419
149.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.3 $50.3
$30.14 MX$570
66.85%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Monrovia, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.37 $43.37
$52 MX$983
-16.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.72 MX$354
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.2 $14.2
$5.07 MX$95.9
180.08%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Monrovia, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,834 $1,834
$200 MX$3,787
815.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$40.5K $40.5K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
659.59%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Monrovia, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$14.83 $14.83
$35.74 MX$676
-58.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.11 $41.11
$39.8 MX$753
3.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.9 $75.9
$79 MX$1,493
-3.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$158 $158
$88.4 MX$1,671
78.23%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Monrovia, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,578 $1,578
$965 MX$18.3K
63.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,346 $1,346
$474 MX$8,968
183.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,662 $2,662
$1,653 MX$31.2K
61.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,238 $2,238
$1,202 MX$22.7K
86.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,038 $3,038
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-1.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,472 $2,472
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-67.17%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Monrovia, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,026 $6,026
$792 MX$15K
661.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.69
11.42
-41.42%

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

Last update for Monrovia, CA: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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