Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Philadelphia, PA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,823 in Philadelphia, PA, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Philadelphia, PA
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Philadelphia, PA Living Index
58

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

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Philadelphia, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,823

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,823 in Philadelphia, PA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Philadelphia, PA $2,823
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,218 in Philadelphia, PA versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Philadelphia, PA $4,218
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,612 in Philadelphia, PA versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Philadelphia, PA $5,612
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Philadelphia, PA is roughly 134% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Philadelphia, PA is 107% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.40 $23.40

$10.92 MX$204

114.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$43.37 MX$810

95.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.73 $12.73

$11.78 MX$220

8.06%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$3.81 MX$71.2

39.63%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$1.28 MX$23.96

134.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.78 MX$14.63

185.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 $5.83

$3.17 MX$59.2

83.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 $8.14

$4.93 MX$92.2

65.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.41 MX$26.28

2.84%

White Bread (500g)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.22 MX$41.43

95.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.04 $7.04

$1.42 MX$26.48

395.77%

Eggs

$4.93 $4.93

$2.52 MX$47.14

95.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$7.26 MX$136

64.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.45 $12.45

$7.70 MX$144

61.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 $17.21

$12.69 MX$237

35.62%

Apples (1kg)

$5.59 $5.59

$2.78 MX$52.0

101.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.37 MX$25.56

16.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$2.55 MX$47.66

118.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.12 MX$39.67

162.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.94 MX$36.22

48.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.89 MX$35.24

68.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.15 MX$21.42

123.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.18 MX$22.03

114.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.03 $12.03

$4.30 MX$80.3

179.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$9.95 MX$186

53.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.58 MX$29.59

47.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.67 MX$49.91

63.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 $2.98

$0.55 MX$10.34

441.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$117 $117

$26.62 MX$497

338.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$4.97 MX$92.9

-43.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.33 MX$62.2

-52.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.53 $23.53

$5.36 MX$100

338.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.44 MX$26.98

-23.61%

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

$31.8K $31.8K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

53.89%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

11.19%

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

$224 $224

$84.8 MX$1,584

163.75%

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

$64.9 $64.9

$23.41 MX$437

177.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 $67.5

$28.66 MX$535

135.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 $71.1

$57.1 MX$1,066

24.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$88.9 $88.9

$28.91 MX$540

207.40%

Cinema Ticket

$15.13 $15.13

$5.14 MX$96.0

194.36%

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

$2,117 $2,117

$207 MX$3,860

925.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.8K $41.8K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

963.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 $50.2

$43.35 MX$810

15.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.91 $43.91

$41.44 MX$774

5.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$74.2 MX$1,386

38.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$89.3 MX$1,668

58.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,069 $2,069

$980 MX$18.3K

111.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$381 MX$7,116

233.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,571 $4,571

$1,708 MX$31.9K

167.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,103 $2,103

$1,075 MX$20.1K

95.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,141 $4,141

$3,943 MX$73.7K

5.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,890 $1,890

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-69.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,139 $4,139

$735 MX$13.7K

463.47%

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 Philadelphia, PA: October 25, 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

Philadelphia, PA

$1.3K 44.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 70% $888

Groceries & Markets

Philadelphia, PA

$450 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 43.3% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Philadelphia, PA

$356 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 61.6% $219

Eating Out

Philadelphia, PA

$356 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 43.1% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Philadelphia, PA

$152 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 26.7% $41

Getting Around

Philadelphia, PA

$139 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 63.8% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Philadelphia, PA

$101 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 33.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,069 in Philadelphia, PA and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Philadelphia, PA pays about 5.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Philadelphia, PA vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $450 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Philadelphia, PA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

1 h behind Philadelphia, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,573,916

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Philadelphia, PA Playa del Carmen 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Philadelphia, PA
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

Philadelphia, PA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 134% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Philadelphia, PA is about 5.6 times higher, 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: $2,069 in Philadelphia, PA versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $85 in Philadelphia, PA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,823 per month in Philadelphia, PA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 134% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,823 in Philadelphia, PA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Philadelphia, PA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Philadelphia, PA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Philadelphia, PA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.