Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montross, VA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,772 in Montross, VA, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Montross, VA
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Montross, VA Living Index
60

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

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Montross, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,772

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,772 in Montross, VA versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen.

Montross, VA $2,772
Playa del Carmen $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,105 in Montross, VA versus $2,144 in Playa del Carmen.

Montross, VA $4,105
Playa del Carmen $2,144

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,438 in Montross, VA versus $3,072 in Playa del Carmen.

Montross, VA $5,438
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Living in Montross, VA is roughly 128% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montross, VA is 107% above, Playa del Carmen is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.94 $23.94

$10.97 MX$202

118.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.4 $98.4

$44.85 MX$825

119.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 $11.06

$11.92 MX$219

-7.21%

Cappuccino

$5.71 $5.71

$3.80 MX$70.0

50.26%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$1.31 MX$24.12

129.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.86 MX$15.75

182.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.84 $7.84

$3.21 MX$59.1

144.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.89 $8.89

$5.01 MX$92.2

77.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.46 MX$26.81

-17.12%

White Bread (500g)

$4.50 $4.50

$2.33 MX$42.79

93.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$1.44 MX$26.52

275.69%

Eggs

$5.09 $5.09

$2.46 MX$45.26

106.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.35 $21.35

$7.70 MX$142

177.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.85 $15.85

$7.89 MX$145

100.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.46 $22.46

$12.80 MX$235

75.47%

Apples (1kg)

$5.76 $5.76

$2.92 MX$53.6

97.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.42 MX$26.15

33.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.57 MX$47.17

81.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$2.14 MX$39.30

168.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.95 MX$35.80

61.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.94 MX$35.60

95.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.15 MX$21.16

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.22 MX$22.45

109.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.67 $10.67

$4.38 MX$80.5

143.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.31 $17.31

$9.85 MX$181

75.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.54 MX$28.27

80.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.72 MX$49.93

4.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.52 MX$9.65

338.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$504

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 $3.89

$4.91 MX$90.4

-20.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$3.52 MX$64.8

-65.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.32 $25.32

$5.69 MX$105

344.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.54 MX$28.32

-31.17%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$21.2K MX$390.5K

62.44%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$24.5K MX$450.3K

1.51%

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

$164 $164

$83.6 MX$1,537

95.67%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$24.03 MX$442

110.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.4 $61.4

$29.33 MX$539

109.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.97 $39.97

$64.9 MX$1,193

-38.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$16.41 $16.41

$5.09 MX$93.5

222.40%

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

$1,618 $1,618

$208 MX$3,819

679.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.6K $36.6K

$4,045 MX$74.4K

804.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 $54.7

$44.55 MX$819

22.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 $63.5

$42.06 MX$773

50.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$75.5 MX$1,389

32.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 $161

$91.4 MX$1,680

75.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 $1,722

$986 MX$18.1K

74.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 $1,265

$385 MX$7,083

228.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 $2,690

$1,713 MX$31.5K

56.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,203 $2,203

$1,108 MX$20.4K

98.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,765 $2,765

$4,016 MX$73.8K

-31.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,076 $2,076

$6,247 MX$114.9K

-66.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.45

-40.70%

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

Last update for Montross, VA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montross, VA

$1.3K 47.1%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 69.6% $880

Groceries & Markets

Montross, VA

$509 19%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 48.8% $248

Eating Out

Montross, VA

$372 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 45.2% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montross, VA

$276 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 50.3% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Montross, VA

$171 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 33.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Montross, VA

$73 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 3.1% $2.2

Getting Around

Montross, VA

$19 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 172% $33

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 $1,722 in Montross, VA and $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $98.0 in Montross, VA vs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $509 vs $260 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Montross, VA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

08:55 8:55 AM

1 h behind Montross, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

400

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.85 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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 18.39 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.61 MXN (100 MXN = 4.85 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Montross, VA Playa del Carmen 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montross, VA
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

Montross, VA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 128% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,157 in Montross, VA and $1,823 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: $1,722 in Montross, VA versus $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,618 in Montross, VA versus $208 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 $45.00 versus $98.0 in Montross, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,772 in Montross, VA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Montross, VA. 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 Montross, VA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 128% less than in Montross, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.