Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nashville, TN and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,847 in Nashville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Nashville, TN
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Nashville, TN Living Index
59

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

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Nashville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,847

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,847 in Nashville, TN versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Nashville, TN $2,847
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,247 in Nashville, TN versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Nashville, TN $4,247
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,647 in Nashville, TN versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Nashville, TN $5,647
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Nashville, TN is roughly 135% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nashville, TN is 111% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.45 $18.45

$10.76 MX$199

71.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.1 $84.1

$43.03 MX$795

95.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 $12.21

$11.79 MX$218

3.56%

Cappuccino

$6.61 $6.61

$3.87 MX$71.4

70.80%

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

$2.88 $2.88

$1.37 MX$25.29

110.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.84 MX$15.44

189.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.91 $6.91

$3.10 MX$57.3

122.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 $7.98

$5.07 MX$93.6

57.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.44 MX$26.55

-20.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.23 MX$41.23

76.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.47 MX$27.17

169.39%

Eggs

$4.31 $4.31

$2.53 MX$46.71

70.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 $12.91

$7.30 MX$135

76.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.24 $14.24

$7.86 MX$145

81.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.32 $18.32

$12.79 MX$236

43.24%

Apples (1kg)

$5.69 $5.69

$2.90 MX$53.6

96.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.44 MX$26.53

5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.55 MX$47.07

65.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$2.06 MX$38.03

146.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.00 MX$36.97

29.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.01 MX$37.07

50.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.19 MX$22.02

89.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.26 MX$23.23

84.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.39 $10.39

$4.40 MX$81.4

136.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.51 $15.51

$9.59 MX$177

61.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.59 MX$29.41

49.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 $4.66

$2.81 MX$51.9

65.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.57 MX$10.47

256.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.7 $64.7

$27.82 MX$514

132.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 $5.09

$4.98 MX$92.1

2.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$3.50 MX$64.6

-54.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.80 $20.80

$5.40 MX$99.8

285.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.47 MX$27.08

-31.97%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

75.02%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

13.25%

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

$232 $232

$84.2 MX$1,556

175.10%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$23.99 MX$443

208.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.8 $74.8

$29.02 MX$536

157.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 $55.2

$63.0 MX$1,164

-12.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.44 $14.44

$29.14 MX$539

-50.45%

Cinema Ticket

$14.87 $14.87

$4.94 MX$91.3

201.01%

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

$1,475 $1,475

$204 MX$3,763

624.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K $30.9K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

685.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 $55.5

$43.60 MX$806

27.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.06 $43.06

$43.12 MX$797

-0.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 $91.7

$75.8 MX$1,400

21.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$88.6 MX$1,637

56.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 $1,999

$1,008 MX$18.6K

98.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 $1,380

$374 MX$6,911

269.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,438 $4,438

$1,708 MX$31.6K

159.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 $2,422

$1,106 MX$20.4K

118.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,035 $8,035

$3,944 MX$72.9K

103.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,673 $2,673

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-56.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,645 $4,645

$754 MX$13.9K

515.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.45

-42.79%

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

Last update for Nashville, TN: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nashville, TN

$1.4K 48.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 72.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Nashville, TN

$432 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 40.1% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nashville, TN

$381 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 63.9% $243

Eating Out

Nashville, TN

$335 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 39.7% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Nashville, TN

$148 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 23.7% $35

Getting Around

Nashville, TN

$86 3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 38.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Nashville, TN

$85 3%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 14.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,999 in Nashville, TN and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nashville, TN pays 516% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $84.0 in Nashville, TN vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $432 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Nashville, TN

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

Same time as Nashville, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

689,447

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Nashville, TN Playa del Carmen 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nashville, TN
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

Nashville, TN vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nashville, TN and Playa del Carmen differ by about 135% in total monthly costs ($2,847 vs $1,210 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 516% higher in Nashville, TN, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,999 in Nashville, TN versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,475 in Nashville, TN versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in Nashville, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,847 in Nashville, TN, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Nashville, TN. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 135% less than in Nashville, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.