Cost of Living Comparison Between Palm Desert, CA and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Palm Desert, CA and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Palm Desert, CA is 39% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 150.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Palm Desert, CA is 45.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 89.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Palm Desert, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.31 $18.31
$11.73 MX$222
56.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.3 $81.3
$41.52 MX$785
95.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.59 $11.59
$10.57 MX$200
9.65%
Cappuccino
$5.06 $5.06
$3.49 MX$65.9
44.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.53 $3.53
$1.45 MX$27.33
143.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.3 $2.3
$0.97 MX$18.33
137.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.38 $7.38
$3.03 MX$57.2
143.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.9 $7.9
$4.59 MX$86.8
72.11%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Palm Desert, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 $1.16
$1.42 MX$26.87
-18.31%
White Bread (500g)
$4.17 $4.17
$1.87 MX$35.43
122.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.82 $4.82
$1.54 MX$29.2
212.99%
Eggs
$3.7 $3.7
$2.6 MX$49.21
42.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.23 $11.23
$8.32 MX$157
34.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.07 $16.07
$8.54 MX$161
88.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.36 $15.36
$10.67 MX$202
43.96%
Apples (1kg)
$4.52 $4.52
$2.66 MX$50.2
69.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 $1.54
$1.51 MX$28.5
1.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.89 $4.89
$1.9 MX$35.87
157.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.73 $5.73
$2.19 MX$41.45
161.64%
Potato (1kg)
$3.13 $3.13
$1.78 MX$33.7
75.84%
Onion (1kg)
$2.88 $2.88
$2.17 MX$41.05
32.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.04 $2.04
$1.07 MX$20.14
90.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.18 $2.18
$1.09 MX$20.53
100.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.15 $11.15
$4.17 MX$78.8
167.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.28 $13.28
$8.75 MX$165
51.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.97 $1.97
$1.69 MX$31.91
16.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.59 $3.59
$2.53 MX$47.74
41.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Palm Desert, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.06 $2.06
$0.51 MX$9.59
303.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.97 MX$510
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.65 $6.65
$3.25 MX$61.4
104.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.07 $2.07
$2.49 MX$47.01
-16.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.32 $29.32
$3.22 MX$60.8
810.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 $1.09
$1.26 MX$23.87
-13.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.2K $25.2K
$29.8K MX$564.1K
-15.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.4K $29.4K
$23.4K MX$442.5K
25.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palm Desert, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 $158
$84.2 MX$1,592
87.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$54.5 $54.5
$22.8 MX$431
138.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.4 $58.4
$30.04 MX$568
94.51%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Palm Desert, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.46 $42.46
$51.4 MX$972
-17.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.28 MX$346
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.81 $12.81
$4.97 MX$94.1
157.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Palm Desert, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,490 $1,490
$197 MX$3,719
657.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K $23.1K
$5,254 MX$99.3K
339.20%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Palm Desert, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$47.08 $47.08
$35.81 MX$677
31.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.17 $30.17
$39.43 MX$745
-23.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.4 $59.4
$80.9 MX$1,529
-26.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$61 $61
$86.3 MX$1,631
-29.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Palm Desert, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,476 $2,476
$968 MX$18.3K
155.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,009 $2,009
$478 MX$9,037
320.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,171 $3,171
$1,631 MX$30.8K
94.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,049 $3,049
$1,197 MX$22.6K
154.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,798 $2,798
$3,137 MX$59.3K
-10.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,455 $2,455
$7,586 MX$143.4K
-67.63%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Palm Desert, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,223 $5,223
$805 MX$15.2K
548.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.64
11.42
-41.86%

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

Last update for Palm Desert, CA: November 4, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2025

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