Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newton, MA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,453 in Newton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $27,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Newton, MA
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Newton, MA Living Index
58

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

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Newton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,453

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,453 per month in Newton, MA vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Newton, MA $3,453
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $5,901 per month in Newton, MA vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Newton, MA $5,901
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $8,348 per month in Newton, MA vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Newton, MA $8,348
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Newton, MA costs about 187% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Newton, MA sits 154% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.44 $27.44

$10.92 MX$205

151.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 $121

$43.37 MX$813

178.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 $11.95

$11.78 MX$221

1.44%

Cappuccino

$6.02 $6.02

$3.81 MX$71.4

58.01%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$1.28 MX$24.03

132.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.78 MX$14.67

182.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.12 $8.12

$3.17 MX$59.3

156.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.01 $8.01

$4.93 MX$92.5

62.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.41 MX$26.35

-14.18%

White Bread (500g)

$4.72 $4.72

$2.22 MX$41.54

112.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.13 $7.13

$1.42 MX$26.56

402.11%

Eggs

$4.24 $4.24

$2.52 MX$47.27

68.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.23 $19.23

$7.26 MX$136

164.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.89 $10.89

$7.70 MX$144

41.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.19 $16.19

$12.69 MX$238

27.58%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.78 MX$52.2

83.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.37 MX$25.64

21.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.55 MX$47.80

118.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$2.12 MX$39.78

211.79%

Potato (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.94 MX$36.32

128.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$1.89 MX$35.34

107.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.15 MX$21.49

155.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.18 MX$22.09

121.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.94 $12.94

$4.30 MX$80.5

200.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.54 $15.54

$9.95 MX$186

56.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.58 MX$29.67

18.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.67 MX$50.1

-2.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.55 MX$10.37

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.7 $91.7

$26.62 MX$499

244.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$4.97 MX$93.1

-58.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$3.33 MX$62.4

-52.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.93 $10.93

$5.36 MX$100

103.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.44 MX$27.06

-31.25%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

33.98%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

13.44%

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

$243 $243

$84.8 MX$1,589

186.04%

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

$54.1 $54.1

$23.41 MX$439

131.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.3 $76.3

$28.66 MX$537

166.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.9 $63.9

$57.1 MX$1,069

11.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$16.11 $16.11

$5.14 MX$96.3

213.42%

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

$2,654 $2,654

$207 MX$3,871

1184.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K $36.2K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

821.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.0 $74.0

$43.35 MX$812

70.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 $50.8

$41.44 MX$777

22.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$74.2 MX$1,390

51.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$89.3 MX$1,672

48.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,848 $1,848

$980 MX$18.4K

88.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 $1,835

$381 MX$7,136

381.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,035 $5,035

$1,708 MX$32.0K

194.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,638 $4,638

$1,075 MX$20.1K

331.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,704 $5,704

$3,943 MX$73.9K

44.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,898 $4,898

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-20.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,975 $7,975

$735 MX$13.8K

985.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

11.45

-41.83%

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

Last update for Newton, MA: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Newton, MA

$1.8K 53.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 79.2% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Newton, MA

$466 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 45.4% $212

Eating Out

Newton, MA

$405 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 50% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newton, MA

$373 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 63.3% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Newton, MA

$167 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 32.9% $55

Getting Around

Newton, MA

$111 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 54.7% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Newton, MA

$96 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 29.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,848 in Newton, MA versus $980 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 in Newton, MA are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $121 in Newton, MA versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $466 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newton, MA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:54 8:54 AM

Same time as Newton, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,146

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Newton, MA Playa del Carmen 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Newton, MA
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

Newton, MA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,453 in Newton, MA, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 65% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,180 per month in Newton, MA 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,848 in Newton, MA.

Public transport costs about 71% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,654 per month in Newton, MA and $207 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 Newton, MA at $3,453. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Newton, MA 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Newton, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.