Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,926 in Monrovia, CA, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Monrovia, CA
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Monrovia, CA Living Index
57

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

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Monrovia, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,926

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,926 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Monrovia, CA $2,926
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $4,313 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Monrovia, CA $4,313
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,700 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Monrovia, CA $5,700
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Monrovia, CA costs about 143% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Monrovia, CA sits 116% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$10.67 MX$199

134.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.7 $98.7

$43.80 MX$815

125.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.70 $11.70

$11.79 MX$219

-0.76%

Cappuccino

$5.75 $5.75

$3.79 MX$70.5

51.72%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$1.30 MX$24.14

117.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.83 MX$15.51

136.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.66 $7.66

$3.15 MX$58.6

143.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.03 $10.03

$4.93 MX$91.8

103.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.41 MX$26.22

-16.31%

White Bread (500g)

$5.73 $5.73

$2.20 MX$40.86

160.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.47 MX$27.40

202.04%

Eggs

$4.89 $4.89

$2.50 MX$46.46

95.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.24 $12.24

$7.29 MX$136

67.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.67 $20.67

$7.95 MX$148

160.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 $13.99

$12.86 MX$239

8.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$2.90 MX$53.9

91.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.38 MX$25.74

28.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.49 MX$46.35

68.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$2.03 MX$37.77

220.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.02 MX$37.68

76.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.90 MX$35.42

84.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.14 MX$21.30

107.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.24 MX$23.05

85.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.64 $11.64

$4.27 MX$79.5

172.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.28 $15.28

$9.81 MX$183

55.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.59 MX$29.51

11.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.75 MX$51.1

38.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.51 MX$9.58

260.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.4 $63.4

$27.39 MX$510

131.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 $4.59

$4.76 MX$88.6

-3.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$3.25 MX$60.5

-41.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.09 $36.09

$5.39 MX$100

569.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.53 MX$28.44

3.92%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

30.67%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

14.02%

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

$219 $219

$83.5 MX$1,554

162.41%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$23.19 MX$431

202.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.8 $70.8

$27.61 MX$514

156.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.66 $45.66

$56.4 MX$1,050

-19.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 $11.79

$5.00 MX$93.1

135.80%

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

$1,862 $1,862

$207 MX$3,854

799.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.0K $35.0K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

569.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.2 $74.2

$43.45 MX$809

70.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.65 $40.65

$42.54 MX$792

-4.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 $78.7

$72.8 MX$1,354

8.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 $159

$88.4 MX$1,645

79.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,606 $1,606

$995 MX$18.5K

61.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 $1,394

$382 MX$7,116

264.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 $2,499

$1,674 MX$31.2K

49.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,235 $2,235

$1,081 MX$20.1K

106.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,887 $2,887

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-26.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,073 $2,073

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-66.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

11.45

-42.71%

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

Last update for Monrovia, CA: 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

Monrovia, CA

$1.4K 47.6%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 72.6% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Monrovia, CA

$478 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 46.2% $221

Eating Out

Monrovia, CA

$381 13%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 47.5% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monrovia, CA

$360 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 62.7% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Monrovia, CA

$158 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 29.8% $47

Getting Around

Monrovia, CA

$85 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 40.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Monrovia, CA

$69 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 4% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,606 in Monrovia, CA versus $995 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Monrovia, CA versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $478 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monrovia, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

08:23 8:23 AM

3 h ahead of Monrovia, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,590

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monrovia, CA Playa del Carmen 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monrovia, CA
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

Monrovia, CA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,926 in Monrovia, CA, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 59% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,389 per month in Monrovia, CA and $1,804 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 $995 there versus $1,606 in Monrovia, CA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Monrovia, CA and $44 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 $2,926 in Monrovia, CA and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 59% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Monrovia, CA at $2,926. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monrovia, CA 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.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 59% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.