Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mountain Home, ID and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,430 in Mountain Home, ID, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Mountain Home, ID
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Mountain Home, ID Living Index
59

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

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Mountain Home, ID

🇺🇸 United States

$2,430

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,430 in Mountain Home, ID versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Mountain Home, ID $2,430
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,678 in Mountain Home, ID versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Mountain Home, ID $3,678
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,927 in Mountain Home, ID versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Mountain Home, ID $4,927
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Mountain Home, ID is roughly 102% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mountain Home, ID is 79% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.76 $18.76

$10.86 MX$203

72.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.5 $71.5

$44.21 MX$824

61.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.64 $12.64

$11.76 MX$219

7.48%

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$3.68 MX$68.6

50.82%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$1.34 MX$25.01

110.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.82 MX$15.38

167.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$3.06 MX$57.1

95.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 $6.48

$4.94 MX$92.1

31.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.47 MX$27.41

-26.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.22 MX$41.32

63.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$1.48 MX$27.57

187.84%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$2.49 MX$46.41

69.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.80 $12.80

$7.52 MX$140

70.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 $11.72

$7.96 MX$148

47.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.77 $16.77

$12.57 MX$234

33.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.78 MX$51.8

75.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.43 MX$26.61

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$2.62 MX$48.81

59.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.14 MX$39.85

117.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.02 MX$37.72

41.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.99 MX$37.08

50.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.14 MX$21.20

92.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.20 MX$22.38

113.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.22 $10.22

$4.26 MX$79.4

139.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.94 $14.94

$10.02 MX$187

49.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.54 MX$28.67

29.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.66 MX$49.62

30.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.53 MX$9.82

326.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$513

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$4.90 MX$91.4

-45.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 $1.73

$3.43 MX$64.1

-49.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.44 $26.44

$5.38 MX$100

391.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.45 MX$27.00

-17.93%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$21.2K MX$394.5K

27.79%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.0K MX$429.2K

11.44%

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

$196 $196

$85.4 MX$1,592

129.14%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$23.46 MX$438

151.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.1 $70.1

$28.43 MX$530

146.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.47 $46.47

$62.2 MX$1,160

-25.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$535

Cinema Ticket

$13.81 $13.81

$5.10 MX$95.2

170.78%

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

$1,333 $1,333

$201 MX$3,749

562.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K $20.0K

$3,947 MX$73.6K

406.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 $53.5

$44.39 MX$828

20.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.22 $45.22

$41.35 MX$771

9.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 $80.2

$72.7 MX$1,356

10.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$89.6 MX$1,671

34.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,607 $1,607

$979 MX$18.3K

64.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 $1,155

$373 MX$6,950

209.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,354 $2,354

$1,681 MX$31.3K

40.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 $2,133

$1,095 MX$20.4K

94.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,447 $2,447

$3,949 MX$73.6K

-38.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,373 $2,373

$6,137 MX$114.4K

-61.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.45

-42.62%

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

Last update for Mountain Home, ID: October 18, 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

Mountain Home, ID

$1.2K 47.5%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 67.7% $782

Groceries & Markets

Mountain Home, ID

$403 16.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 35.9% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mountain Home, ID

$325 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 57.7% $187

Eating Out

Mountain Home, ID

$317 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 36.9% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Mountain Home, ID

$135 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 17.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Mountain Home, ID

$74 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 2.3% $1.7

Getting Around

Mountain Home, ID

$20 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 154% $31

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 $1,607 in Mountain Home, ID and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $72 in Mountain Home, ID vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Mountain Home, ID

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

14:00 2:00 PM

1 h ahead of Mountain Home, ID

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,656

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 18.65 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.89 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mountain Home, ID Playa del Carmen 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mountain Home, ID
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

Mountain Home, ID vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 102% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,645 in Mountain Home, ID and $1,806 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: $1,607 in Mountain Home, ID versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Mountain Home, ID. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,430 per month in Mountain Home, ID versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 102% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,430 in Mountain Home, ID, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Mountain Home, ID. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.