Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Myrtle Beach, SC and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,474 in Myrtle Beach, SC, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Myrtle Beach, SC
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Myrtle Beach, SC Living Index
59

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

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Myrtle Beach, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,474

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,474 per month in Myrtle Beach, SC vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Myrtle Beach, SC $2,474
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,472 per month in Myrtle Beach, SC vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Myrtle Beach, SC $3,472
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,471 per month in Myrtle Beach, SC vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Myrtle Beach, SC $4,471
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Myrtle Beach, SC costs about 105% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Myrtle Beach, SC sits 83% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.31 $18.31

$10.86 MX$201

68.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 $73.6

$44.21 MX$817

66.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 $11.13

$11.76 MX$217

-5.36%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$3.68 MX$68.0

39.67%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$1.34 MX$24.79

95.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.82 MX$15.24

176.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 $6.18

$3.06 MX$56.6

101.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$4.94 MX$91.2

37.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.47 MX$27.17

-39.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.22 MX$40.95

45.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.48 MX$27.32

124.32%

Eggs

$3.94 $3.94

$2.49 MX$45.99

58.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.92 $12.92

$7.52 MX$139

71.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.89 $10.89

$7.96 MX$147

36.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 $15.07

$12.57 MX$232

19.89%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$2.78 MX$51.3

86.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.43 MX$26.37

-9.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.62 MX$48.37

64.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.14 MX$39.49

115.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.02 MX$37.38

83.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.99 MX$36.74

43.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.14 MX$21.01

57.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.20 MX$22.18

85.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.48 $7.48

$4.26 MX$78.7

75.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 $12.87

$10.02 MX$185

28.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.54 MX$28.41

20.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.66 MX$49.17

-20.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 $3.01

$4.90 MX$90.6

-38.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$3.43 MX$63.5

-44.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.24 $30.24

$5.38 MX$99.4

462.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.45 MX$26.76

-35.86%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

33.02%

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

$23.9K $23.9K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

4.03%

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

$158 $158

$85.4 MX$1,577

85.04%

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

$67.2 $67.2

$23.46 MX$434

186.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.2 $79.2

$28.43 MX$525

178.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 $51.1

$62.2 MX$1,149

-17.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.07 $15.07

$28.68 MX$530

-47.45%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 $11.09

$5.10 MX$94.3

117.45%

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

$1,453 $1,453

$201 MX$3,715

622.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K $25.2K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

537.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 $51.2

$44.39 MX$820

15.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.71 $37.71

$41.35 MX$764

-8.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 $83.1

$72.7 MX$1,344

14.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.1 $89.1

$89.6 MX$1,656

-0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 $1,488

$979 MX$18.1K

51.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$373 MX$6,887

245.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,418 $2,418

$1,681 MX$31.1K

43.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,811 $1,811

$1,095 MX$20.2K

65.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,443 $2,443

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-38.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,353 $2,353

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-61.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,625 $3,625

$738 MX$13.6K

391.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

11.45

-43.41%

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

Last update for Myrtle Beach, SC: October 19, 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

Myrtle Beach, SC

$1.3K 52%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 71% $915

Groceries & Markets

Myrtle Beach, SC

$373 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 30.7% $115

Eating Out

Myrtle Beach, SC

$306 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 34.5% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Myrtle Beach, SC

$304 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 54.9% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Myrtle Beach, SC

$118 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 5% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Myrtle Beach, SC

$73 3%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 1.1% $0.8

Getting Around

Myrtle Beach, SC

$13 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 313% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Myrtle Beach, SC versus $979 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 run about 392% higher in Myrtle Beach, SC, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Myrtle Beach, SC versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Myrtle Beach, SC

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

00:10 12:10 AM

1 h behind Myrtle Beach, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,175

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Myrtle Beach, SC Playa del Carmen 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Myrtle Beach, SC
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

Myrtle Beach, SC vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Myrtle Beach, SC is pricier by about 105%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,710 per month in Myrtle Beach, SC 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,474 in Myrtle Beach, SC and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 105%.

Kindergarten costs $1,453 per month in Myrtle Beach, SC and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Myrtle Beach, SC at $2,474. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Myrtle Beach, SC 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Myrtle Beach, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.