Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mundelein, IL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,438 in Mundelein, IL, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Mundelein, IL
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Mundelein, IL Living Index
59

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

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Mundelein, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,438

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,438 in Mundelein, IL versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Mundelein, IL $2,438
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,620 in Mundelein, IL versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Mundelein, IL $3,620
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,802 in Mundelein, IL versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Mundelein, IL $4,802
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Mundelein, IL 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: Mundelein, IL is 80% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.19 $16.19

$10.86 MX$201

49.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.1 $54.1

$44.21 MX$817

22.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 $7.90

$11.76 MX$217

-32.82%

Cappuccino

$5.76 $5.76

$3.68 MX$68.0

56.52%

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

$3.20 $3.20

$1.34 MX$24.79

138.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.82 MX$15.24

198.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.90 $6.90

$3.06 MX$56.6

125.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$4.94 MX$91.2

60.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.47 MX$27.17

-48.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.22 MX$40.95

56.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.48 MX$27.32

46.62%

Eggs

$3.78 $3.78

$2.49 MX$45.99

51.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.69 $14.69

$7.52 MX$139

95.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.93 $12.93

$7.96 MX$147

62.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 $19.83

$12.57 MX$232

57.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.78 MX$51.3

57.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.43 MX$26.37

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$2.62 MX$48.37

97.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.14 MX$39.49

122.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.02 MX$37.38

36.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.99 MX$36.74

54.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.14 MX$21.01

85.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.20 MX$22.18

93.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.62 $10.62

$4.26 MX$78.7

149.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 $15.81

$10.02 MX$185

57.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.54 MX$28.41

75.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.66 MX$49.17

71.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.53 MX$9.73

322.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 $3.92

$4.90 MX$90.6

-20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 $2.04

$3.43 MX$63.5

-40.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.95 $43.95

$5.38 MX$99.4

716.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.45 MX$26.76

-27.59%

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

$31.0K $31.0K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

46.58%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

11.56%

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

$177 $177

$85.4 MX$1,577

106.92%

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

$53.5 $53.5

$23.46 MX$434

127.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.43 $45.43

$28.43 MX$525

59.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.55 $45.55

$62.2 MX$1,149

-26.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$15.18 $15.18

$5.10 MX$94.3

197.65%

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

$1,713 $1,713

$201 MX$3,715

751.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

482.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.0 $65.0

$44.39 MX$820

46.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.73 $49.73

$41.35 MX$764

20.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$72.7 MX$1,344

44.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$89.6 MX$1,656

37.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,483 $1,483

$979 MX$18.1K

51.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 $1,199

$373 MX$6,887

221.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,267 $2,267

$1,681 MX$31.1K

34.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,114 $2,114

$1,095 MX$20.2K

93.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,043 $3,043

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-22.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,086 $2,086

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-66.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

11.45

-41.57%

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

Last update for Mundelein, IL: October 20, 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

Mundelein, IL

$1.2K 49.2%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 68.9% $826

Groceries & Markets

Mundelein, IL

$416 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 37.8% $157

Eating Out

Mundelein, IL

$295 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 32.2% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mundelein, IL

$276 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 50.2% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Mundelein, IL

$154 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Mundelein, IL

$76 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 4.6% $3.5

Getting Around

Mundelein, IL

$23 * 1%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 124% $29

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 $1,483 in Mundelein, IL and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $54.0 in Mundelein, IL vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $416 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Mundelein, IL

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

Same time as Mundelein, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,560

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Mundelein, IL Playa del Carmen 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mundelein, IL
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

Mundelein, IL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $3,658 in Mundelein, IL 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: $1,483 in Mundelein, IL versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,713 in Mundelein, IL versus $201 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 $44.00 versus $54.0 in Mundelein, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,438 in Mundelein, IL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Mundelein, IL. 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 Mundelein, IL, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mundelein, IL and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Mundelein, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.