Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moses Lake, WA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,396 in Moses Lake, WA, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Moses Lake, WA
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Moses Lake, WA Living Index
58

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

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Moses Lake, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,396

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,396 per month in Moses Lake, WA vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Moses Lake, WA $2,396
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,595 per month in Moses Lake, WA vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Moses Lake, WA $3,595
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,795 per month in Moses Lake, WA vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Moses Lake, WA $4,795
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Moses Lake, WA costs about 99% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Moses Lake, WA sits 76% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.18 $18.18

$10.92 MX$206

66.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.9 $79.9

$43.37 MX$818

84.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.28 $12.28

$11.78 MX$222

4.24%

Cappuccino

$4.38 $4.38

$3.81 MX$71.9

14.96%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$1.28 MX$24.19

129.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$0.78 MX$14.77

228.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.17 MX$59.7

45.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.93 MX$93.1

65.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.41 MX$26.53

-47.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.22 MX$41.82

72.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.42 MX$26.73

187.32%

Eggs

$3.50 $3.50

$2.52 MX$47.59

38.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 $9.10

$7.26 MX$137

25.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.08 $11.08

$7.70 MX$145

43.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.45 $13.45

$12.69 MX$239

5.99%

Apples (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$2.78 MX$52.5

112.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.37 MX$25.81

18.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$2.55 MX$48.12

110.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$2.12 MX$40.05

165.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.94 MX$36.56

79.90%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.89 MX$35.58

71.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.15 MX$21.63

153.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.18 MX$22.24

83.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.66 $11.66

$4.30 MX$81.0

171.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$9.95 MX$188

49.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.58 MX$29.87

13.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.67 MX$50.4

57.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.55 MX$10.44

261.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 $67.0

$26.62 MX$502

151.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 $2.48

$4.97 MX$93.7

-50.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.33 MX$62.8

-52.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.13 $30.13

$5.36 MX$101

462.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.44 MX$27.24

-19.44%

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

$31.5K $31.5K

$20.7K MX$389.8K

52.58%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$23.5K MX$442.6K

10.19%

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

$154 $154

$84.8 MX$1,599

82.17%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$23.41 MX$442

199.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.7 $75.7

$28.66 MX$541

164.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.80 $41.80

$57.1 MX$1,076

-26.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$545

Cinema Ticket

$11.65 $11.65

$5.14 MX$96.9

126.65%

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

$1,113 $1,113

$207 MX$3,897

438.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.1K $31.1K

$3,927 MX$74.1K

691.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 $52.7

$43.35 MX$818

21.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.09 $25.09

$41.44 MX$782

-39.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.61 $46.61

$74.2 MX$1,400

-37.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.4 $81.4

$89.3 MX$1,684

-8.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 $1,505

$980 MX$18.5K

53.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 $1,167

$381 MX$7,184

206.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,244 $2,244

$1,708 MX$32.2K

31.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,029 $2,029

$1,075 MX$20.3K

88.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,621 $2,621

$3,943 MX$74.4K

-33.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,840 $2,840

$6,158 MX$116.2K

-53.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,063 $9,063

$735 MX$13.9K

1133.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

11.45

-39.83%

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

Last update for Moses Lake, WA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Moses Lake, WA

$1.2K 48.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 67.4% $786

Groceries & Markets

Moses Lake, WA

$390 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 34.6% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moses Lake, WA

$300 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 54.4% $163

Eating Out

Moses Lake, WA

$296 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 31.7% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Moses Lake, WA

$93 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 20.6% $19

Getting Around

Moses Lake, WA

$85 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 40.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Moses Lake, WA

$65 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 3.4% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,505 in Moses Lake, WA versus $980 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 in Moses Lake, WA are about 12 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Moses Lake, WA versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $390 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Moses Lake, WA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

20:45 8:45 PM

2 h ahead of Moses Lake, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,146

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

100 MXN = 5.3 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 30, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 18.86 MXN (100 MXN = 5.3 USD). 1 EUR = 21.02 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Moses Lake, WA Playa del Carmen 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Moses Lake, WA
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

Moses Lake, WA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Moses Lake, WA costs about 99% 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 $3,594 per month in Moses Lake, WA 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,505 in Moses Lake, WA.

Kindergarten costs $1,113 per month in Moses Lake, WA and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Moses Lake, WA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Moses Lake, WA at $2,396. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Moses Lake, WA 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.

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