Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Platte, NE and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,357 in North Platte, NE, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in North Platte, NE
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North Platte, NE Living Index
59

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

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North Platte, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,357

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,357 per month in North Platte, NE vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

North Platte, NE $2,357
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,543 per month in North Platte, NE vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

North Platte, NE $3,543
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,729 per month in North Platte, NE vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

North Platte, NE $4,729
Playa del Carmen $3,000

North Platte, NE costs about 96% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

North Platte, NE sits 74% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 $19.09

$10.86 MX$201

75.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.2 $84.2

$44.21 MX$817

90.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$11.76 MX$217

3.57%

Cappuccino

$5.27 $5.27

$3.68 MX$68.0

43.21%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$1.34 MX$24.79

128.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.82 MX$15.24

140.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.21 $6.21

$3.06 MX$56.6

102.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.89 $7.89

$4.94 MX$91.2

59.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.47 MX$27.17

-32.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.22 MX$40.95

61.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$1.48 MX$27.32

235.81%

Eggs

$3.76 $3.76

$2.49 MX$45.99

51.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 $12.49

$7.52 MX$139

66.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.29 $10.29

$7.96 MX$147

29.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.25 $16.25

$12.57 MX$232

29.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.78 MX$51.3

63.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.43 MX$26.37

18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$2.62 MX$48.37

79.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.14 MX$39.49

114.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.02 MX$37.38

50.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.99 MX$36.74

40.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.14 MX$21.01

114.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.20 MX$22.18

99.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.45 $9.45

$4.26 MX$78.7

121.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.24 $13.24

$10.02 MX$185

32.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.54 MX$28.41

12.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.66 MX$49.17

23.68%

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)

$2.65 $2.65

$4.90 MX$90.6

-45.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$3.43 MX$63.5

-41.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.92 $25.92

$5.38 MX$99.4

381.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.45 MX$26.76

-26.90%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

32.08%

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

24.22%

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

$189 $189

$85.4 MX$1,577

121.57%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$23.46 MX$434

119.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.0 $65.0

$28.43 MX$525

128.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.51 $36.51

$62.2 MX$1,149

-41.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$13.62 $13.62

$5.10 MX$94.3

167.06%

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

$1,240 $1,240

$201 MX$3,715

516.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.6K $24.6K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

524.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 $52.0

$44.39 MX$820

17.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.52 $43.52

$41.35 MX$764

5.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 $97.4

$72.7 MX$1,344

33.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$89.6 MX$1,656

30.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 $1,564

$979 MX$18.1K

59.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 $1,120

$373 MX$6,887

200.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,661 $2,661

$1,681 MX$31.1K

58.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,938 $1,938

$1,095 MX$20.2K

76.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,916 $1,916

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-51.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,873 $1,873

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-69.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.45

-42.62%

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

Last update for North Platte, NE: 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

North Platte, NE

$1.1K 47.5%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 66.7% $747

Groceries & Markets

North Platte, NE

$388 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 33.3% $129

Eating Out

North Platte, NE

$319 13.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 37.3% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Platte, NE

$306 13%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 55.1% $168

Clothing & Footwear

North Platte, NE

$139 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 19.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

North Platte, NE

$64 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 13.6% $8.7

Getting Around

North Platte, NE

$22 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 140% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,564 in North Platte, NE 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in North Platte, NE versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 North Platte, NE

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:11 3:11 AM

Same time as North Platte, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,386

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

North Platte, NE Playa del Carmen 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

North Platte, NE
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

North Platte, NE vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,357 in North Platte, NE, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 96% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,536 per month in North Platte, NE 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 $2,357 in North Platte, NE and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 96%.

Kindergarten costs $1,240 per month in North Platte, NE 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 North Platte, NE at $2,357. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in North Platte, NE it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,357 in North Platte, NE. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, North Platte, NE makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.