Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newport News, VA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,738 in Newport News, VA, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Newport News, VA
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Newport News, VA Living Index
59

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

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Newport News, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,738

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,738 in Newport News, VA versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Newport News, VA $2,738
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,798 in Newport News, VA versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Newport News, VA $3,798
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,858 in Newport News, VA versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Newport News, VA $4,858
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Newport News, VA is roughly 126% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Newport News, VA is 103% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.29 $28.29

$10.76 MX$199

162.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 $60.8

$43.03 MX$795

41.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.44 $10.44

$11.79 MX$218

-11.45%

Cappuccino

$6.17 $6.17

$3.87 MX$71.4

59.43%

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

$2.61 $2.61

$1.37 MX$25.29

90.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.84 MX$15.44

144.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 $7.88

$3.10 MX$57.3

154.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.77 $7.77

$5.07 MX$93.6

53.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.44 MX$26.55

-34.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.23 MX$41.23

58.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.47 MX$27.17

128.57%

Eggs

$2.86 $2.86

$2.53 MX$46.71

13.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 $7.51

$7.30 MX$135

2.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.13 $11.13

$7.86 MX$145

41.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.66 $18.66

$12.79 MX$236

45.90%

Apples (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$2.90 MX$53.6

139.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.44 MX$26.53

-27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.55 MX$47.07

93.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.06 MX$38.03

96.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.00 MX$36.97

33.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.01 MX$37.07

55.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.19 MX$22.02

69.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.26 MX$23.23

112.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.74 $7.74

$4.40 MX$81.4

75.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.06 $16.06

$9.59 MX$177

67.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.59 MX$29.41

10.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 $5.60

$2.81 MX$51.9

99.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 $2.91

$0.57 MX$10.47

410.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.13 $40.13

$27.82 MX$514

44.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 $3.90

$4.98 MX$92.1

-21.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 $1.32

$3.50 MX$64.6

-62.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.22 $25.22

$5.40 MX$99.8

367.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.47 MX$27.08

-33.33%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

76.28%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

10.04%

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

$209 $209

$84.2 MX$1,556

148.44%

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

$79.9 $79.9

$23.99 MX$443

233.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.8 $78.8

$29.02 MX$536

171.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.56 $39.56

$63.0 MX$1,164

-37.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 $13.31

$4.94 MX$91.3

169.43%

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

$3,164 $3,164

$204 MX$3,763

1453.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.7K $40.7K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

933.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 $54.1

$43.60 MX$806

24.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.64 $44.64

$43.12 MX$797

3.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$75.8 MX$1,400

35.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$88.6 MX$1,637

39.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 $1,407

$1,008 MX$18.6K

39.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 $1,299

$374 MX$6,911

247.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 $2,324

$1,708 MX$31.6K

36.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 $1,792

$1,106 MX$20.4K

62.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,245 $2,245

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-43.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 $2,236

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-63.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,938 $3,938

$754 MX$13.9K

422.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

11.45

-42.88%

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

Last update for Newport News, VA: October 12, 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

Newport News, VA

$1.3K 47.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 71.2% $925

Eating Out

Newport News, VA

$405 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 50.1% $203

Groceries & Markets

Newport News, VA

$391 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 34% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newport News, VA

$368 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 62.7% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Newport News, VA

$146 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 22.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Newport News, VA

$66 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 10.1% $6.7

Getting Around

Newport News, VA

$62 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 15.6% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,407 in Newport News, VA and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Newport News, VA pays 422% 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: $61.0 in Newport News, VA vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $391 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newport News, VA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

1 h behind Newport News, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

186,247

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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Newport News, VA Playa del Carmen 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Newport News, VA
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

Newport News, VA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Newport News, VA and Playa del Carmen differ by about 126% in total monthly costs ($2,738 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 422% higher in Newport News, VA, 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: $1,407 in Newport News, VA versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,738 per month in Newport News, VA versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 126% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 44% less than in Newport News, VA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,738 in Newport News, VA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Newport News, VA. 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 126% less than in Newport News, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.