Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Alton, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,910 in Alton, IL, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Alton, IL
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Alton, IL Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Alton, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,910

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Alton, IL

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Alton, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,910 in Alton, IL, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Alton, IL $1,910

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,881 in Alton, IL, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Alton, IL $2,881

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,852 in Alton, IL, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Alton, IL $3,852

Playa del Carmen is about 37% cheaper than Alton, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Alton, IL is 40% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$21.04 $21.04

-48.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$55.0 $55.0

-21.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.83 $10.83

8.77%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$4.90 $4.90

-22.24%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.46 $1.46

-12.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.75 $1.75

-55.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$4.12 $4.12

-23.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$6.04 $6.04

-18.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$0.75 $0.75

88.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$2.50 $2.50

-11.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$3.17 $3.17

-55.21%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$3.19 $3.19

-21.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$9.53 $9.53

-23.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$6.70 $6.70

14.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$24.15 $24.15

-47.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$4.47 $4.47

-37.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.23 $1.23

11.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$5.15 $5.15

-50.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$4.91 $4.91

-56.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.16 $2.16

-10.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.83 $2.83

-33.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$2.08 $2.08

-44.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$2.14 $2.14

-44.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$10.90 $10.90

-60.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$12.13 $12.13

-17.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.81 $1.81

-12.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.64 $2.64

1.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$2.95 $2.95

68.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.67 $1.67

99.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$0.99 $0.99

45.45%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$27.4K $27.4K

-24.48%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$26.9K $26.9K

-12.65%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$338 $338

-74.95%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$44.08 $44.08

-46.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$76.4 $76.4

-62.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$27.65 $27.65

106.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$12.15 $12.15

-57.70%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$280 $280

-26.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$39.41 $39.41

10.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$42.27 $42.27

-1.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$65.2 $65.2

13.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$74.8 $74.8

19.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$740 $740

32.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$631 $631

-39.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,107 $1,107

54.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,281 $1,281

-16.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,534 $1,534

157.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,426 $1,426

331.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$3,767 $3,767

-80.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

90.83%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alton, IL: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Alton, IL

$631 33% 65.6% $250

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Alton, IL

$352 18.4% 38.2% $97

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Alton, IL

$305 16% 50.7% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Alton, IL

$459 24% 235% $322

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Alton, IL

$100 5.2% 10.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Alton, IL

$52 2.7% 22.8% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Alton, IL

$11 * 0.6% 77.6% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $740 in Alton, IL. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Alton, IL are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $55 in Alton, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $352 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Alton, IL

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

25,676

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Alton, IL 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Alton, IL

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

Playa del Carmen vs Alton, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alton, IL costs about 59% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,865 in Alton, IL. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alton, IL, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $740 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,910 in Alton, IL. That makes Playa del Carmen about 37% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $280 in Alton, IL. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Alton, IL at $1,910. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alton, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,910 in Alton, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alton, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.