Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phoenix, AZ and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,815 in Phoenix, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Phoenix, AZ
Learn more

Phoenix, AZ Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Phoenix, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,815

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,815 in Phoenix, AZ versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Phoenix, AZ $2,815
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,082 in Phoenix, AZ versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Phoenix, AZ $4,082
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,348 in Phoenix, AZ versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Phoenix, AZ $5,348
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Phoenix, AZ 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: Phoenix, AZ is 107% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 $19.80

$10.92 MX$205

81.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 $86.5

$43.37 MX$814

99.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.23 $14.23

$11.78 MX$221

20.80%

Cappuccino

$6.07 $6.07

$3.81 MX$71.5

59.32%

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

$3.20 $3.20

$1.28 MX$24.07

150.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.78 MX$14.70

214.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.17 MX$59.5

86.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.85 $7.85

$4.93 MX$92.7

59.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.41 MX$26.40

-44.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.22 MX$41.62

77.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$1.42 MX$26.61

335.21%

Eggs

$4.38 $4.38

$2.52 MX$47.36

73.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.01 $14.01

$7.26 MX$136

92.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.89 $12.89

$7.70 MX$144

67.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 $14.68

$12.69 MX$238

15.68%

Apples (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.78 MX$52.3

96.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.37 MX$25.68

38.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.55 MX$47.89

67.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$2.12 MX$39.86

181.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.94 MX$36.39

89.69%

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.89 MX$35.41

66.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.15 MX$21.53

96.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.18 MX$22.13

125.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.17 $11.17

$4.30 MX$80.6

159.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 $14.12

$9.95 MX$187

41.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.58 MX$29.73

51.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.67 MX$50.1

10.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.55 MX$10.39

258.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.7 $62.7

$26.62 MX$500

135.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$4.97 MX$93.3

-43.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$3.33 MX$62.5

-57.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.63 $36.63

$5.36 MX$101

583.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.44 MX$27.11

-17.36%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

77.48%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

13.78%

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

$233 $233

$84.8 MX$1,592

175.15%

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

$77.7 $77.7

$23.41 MX$439

231.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.3 $75.3

$28.66 MX$538

162.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 $56.5

$57.1 MX$1,071

-0.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.46 $19.46

$28.91 MX$543

-32.69%

Cinema Ticket

$13.71 $13.71

$5.14 MX$96.5

166.73%

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

$1,644 $1,644

$207 MX$3,878

695.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

489.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 $60.2

$43.35 MX$814

38.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.42 $46.42

$41.44 MX$778

12.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$74.2 MX$1,393

39.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$89.3 MX$1,676

42.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,755 $1,755

$980 MX$18.4K

79.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 $1,341

$381 MX$7,150

252.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,082 $3,082

$1,708 MX$32.1K

80.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,097 $2,097

$1,075 MX$20.2K

95.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,507 $4,507

$3,943 MX$74.0K

14.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,990 $2,990

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-51.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,196 $4,196

$735 MX$13.8K

471.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

11.45

-42.10%

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

Last update for Phoenix, AZ: October 26, 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

Phoenix, AZ

$1.3K 47.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 71.6% $960

Groceries & Markets

Phoenix, AZ

$430 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 40.8% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phoenix, AZ

$386 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 64.6% $249

Eating Out

Phoenix, AZ

$342 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 40.8% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Phoenix, AZ

$152 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 26.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Phoenix, AZ

$84 3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 19.8% $17

Getting Around

Phoenix, AZ

$81 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 37.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,755 in Phoenix, AZ and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phoenix, AZ pays about 5.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $87 in Phoenix, AZ vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $430 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Phoenix, AZ

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

20:48 8:48 PM

2 h ahead of Phoenix, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,608,139

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phoenix, AZ Playa del Carmen 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phoenix, AZ
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

Phoenix, AZ vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phoenix, AZ is about 5.7 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: $1,755 in Phoenix, AZ versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,815 per month in Phoenix, AZ versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 58% less than in Phoenix, AZ. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,815 in Phoenix, AZ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Phoenix, AZ. 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 Phoenix, AZ, 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 Phoenix, AZ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.