Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plano, TX and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,657 in Plano, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Plano, TX
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Plano, TX Living Index
57

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

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Plano, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,657

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,657 in Plano, TX versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Plano, TX $2,657
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,976 in Plano, TX versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Plano, TX $3,976
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,294 in Plano, TX versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Plano, TX $5,294
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Plano, TX is roughly 121% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Plano, TX is 97% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.38 $20.38

$10.67 MX$200

91.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.6 $75.6

$43.80 MX$823

72.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$11.79 MX$221

-14.59%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.79 MX$71.1

44.33%

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

$3.24 $3.24

$1.30 MX$24.36

149.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.83 MX$15.65

169.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 $6.69

$3.15 MX$59.1

112.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.41 $7.41

$4.93 MX$92.7

50.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.41 MX$26.46

-31.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.20 MX$41.23

43.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.47 MX$27.66

219.73%

Eggs

$4.59 $4.59

$2.50 MX$46.89

83.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.28 $13.28

$7.29 MX$137

82.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.42 $11.42

$7.95 MX$149

43.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.78 $18.78

$12.86 MX$242

46.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.90 MX$54.4

62.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.38 MX$25.98

17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.49 MX$46.78

10.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.03 MX$38.12

54.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.02 MX$38.03

15.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.90 MX$35.74

46.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.14 MX$21.49

69.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.24 MX$23.27

131.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$4.27 MX$80.2

135.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.95 $15.95

$9.81 MX$184

62.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.59 MX$29.78

5.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.75 MX$51.6

22.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 $3.03

$0.51 MX$9.67

494.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$125 $125

$27.39 MX$514

354.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$4.76 MX$89.4

-38.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$3.25 MX$61.0

-47.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.21 $15.21

$5.39 MX$101

182.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.53 MX$28.70

-35.29%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$21.2K MX$398.4K

25.66%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$23.3K MX$436.9K

14.31%

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

$192 $192

$83.5 MX$1,568

130.45%

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

$46.16 $46.16

$23.19 MX$435

99.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 $56.0

$27.61 MX$519

102.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.38 $37.38

$56.4 MX$1,060

-33.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.94 $3.94

$28.19 MX$529

-86.02%

Cinema Ticket

$14.96 $14.96

$5.00 MX$93.9

199.20%

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

$1,124 $1,124

$207 MX$3,889

442.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$5,231 MX$98.2K

383.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 $60.2

$43.45 MX$816

38.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.13 $38.13

$42.54 MX$799

-10.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 $87.2

$72.8 MX$1,367

19.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.4 $68.4

$88.4 MX$1,660

-22.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,585 $1,585

$995 MX$18.7K

59.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 $1,311

$382 MX$7,181

242.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 $2,445

$1,674 MX$31.4K

46.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,319 $2,319

$1,081 MX$20.3K

114.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,609 $2,609

$3,909 MX$73.4K

-33.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,314 $2,314

$6,138 MX$115.3K

-62.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,625 $5,625

$832 MX$15.6K

575.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.45

-43.14%

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

Last update for Plano, TX: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Plano, TX

$1.3K 49.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 70.8% $928

Groceries & Markets

Plano, TX

$393 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 34.5% $136

Eating Out

Plano, TX

$329 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 39.2% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plano, TX

$295 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 54.4% $160

Getting Around

Plano, TX

$148 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 65.9% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Plano, TX

$114 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 2.7% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Plano, TX

$67 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 1.3% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,585 in Plano, TX and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Plano, TX pays about 6.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $76 in Plano, TX vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Plano, TX

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

10:22 10:22 AM

1 h ahead of Plano, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

288,253

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Plano, TX Playa del Carmen 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Plano, TX
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

Plano, TX vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Plano, TX is about 6.8 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: $1,585 in Plano, TX versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,124 in Plano, TX versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Plano, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,657 in Plano, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Plano, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Plano, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.