Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasco, WA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,537 in Pasco, WA, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Pasco, WA
Learn more

Pasco, WA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Pasco, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,537

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,537 in Pasco, WA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Pasco, WA $2,537
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,634 in Pasco, WA versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Pasco, WA $3,634
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,732 in Pasco, WA versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Pasco, WA $4,732
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Pasco, WA is roughly 111% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pasco, WA is 87% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.10 $19.10

$10.86 MX$201

75.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 $67.7

$44.21 MX$817

53.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.04 $13.04

$11.76 MX$217

10.88%

Cappuccino

$6.04 $6.04

$3.68 MX$68.0

64.13%

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

$2.50 $2.50

$1.34 MX$24.79

86.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.82 MX$15.24

86.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$3.06 MX$56.6

167.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.92 $7.92

$4.94 MX$91.2

60.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.47 MX$27.17

-31.97%

White Bread (500g)

$4.72 $4.72

$2.22 MX$40.95

112.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$1.48 MX$27.32

233.11%

Eggs

$3.08 $3.08

$2.49 MX$45.99

23.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 $12.14

$7.52 MX$139

61.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.28 $15.28

$7.96 MX$147

91.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.97 $21.97

$12.57 MX$232

74.78%

Apples (1kg)

$6.53 $6.53

$2.78 MX$51.3

134.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.43 MX$26.37

41.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.62 MX$48.37

-17.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.14 MX$39.49

0.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.02 MX$37.38

5.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.99 MX$36.74

9.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.14 MX$21.01

77.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.20 MX$22.18

62.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.44 $11.44

$4.26 MX$78.7

168.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.94 $14.94

$10.02 MX$185

49.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.47 $3.47

$1.54 MX$28.41

125.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 $5.16

$2.66 MX$49.17

93.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.53 MX$9.73

188.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 $5.10

$4.90 MX$90.6

4.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$3.43 MX$63.5

-44.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.45 $24.45

$5.38 MX$99.4

354.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.45 MX$26.76

-11.03%

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

$33.0K $33.0K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

56.03%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

12.92%

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

$308 $308

$85.4 MX$1,577

260.81%

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

$64.2 $64.2

$23.46 MX$434

173.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$28.43 MX$525

145.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.75 $44.75

$62.2 MX$1,149

-28.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$14.80 $14.80

$5.10 MX$94.3

190.20%

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

$1,679 $1,679

$201 MX$3,715

735.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

511.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 $66.4

$44.39 MX$820

49.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.79 $37.79

$41.35 MX$764

-8.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$72.7 MX$1,344

38.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$89.6 MX$1,656

50.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 $1,473

$979 MX$18.1K

50.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 $1,078

$373 MX$6,887

189.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,315 $2,315

$1,681 MX$31.1K

37.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 $1,696

$1,095 MX$20.2K

54.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,293 $4,293

$738 MX$13.6K

482.10%

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 Pasco, WA: 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

Pasco, WA

$1.1K 42.5%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 65.4% $705

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasco, WA

$442 17.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 68.9% $305

Groceries & Markets

Pasco, WA

$432 17%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 40.2% $173

Eating Out

Pasco, WA

$337 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 40.6% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Pasco, WA

$153 6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Pasco, WA

$74 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 2.6% $2

Getting Around

Pasco, WA

$21 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 149% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,473 in Pasco, WA and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pasco, WA pays 482% 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: $68.0 in Pasco, WA vs $44.00 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

🇺🇸 Pasco, WA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

2 h ahead of Pasco, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,108

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pasco, WA Playa del Carmen 4,060 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Pasco, WA
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

Pasco, WA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 111% lower than in Pasco, WA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 482% higher in Pasco, WA, 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: $1,473 in Pasco, WA versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $2,537 per month in Pasco, WA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 111% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,537 in Pasco, WA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Pasco, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 111% less than in Pasco, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.