Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Americana

For one person, living is cheaper in Americana: $836 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Americana
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Americana Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Americana

🇧🇷 Brazil

$836

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Americana

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 Americana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $836 in Americana.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Americana $836

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,319 in Americana.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Americana $1,319

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,802 in Americana.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Americana $1,802

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 44% more expensive than in Americana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Americana 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$5.70 R$30.50

91.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$22.50 R$120

92.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.47 R$39.96

57.70%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.85 R$9.91

105.95%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.71 R$9.16

-25.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.16 R$6.22

-32.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.39 R$7.41

128.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.26 R$12.06

118.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.95 R$5.08

48.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.60 R$8.58

38.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.17 R$6.25

21.37%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.02 R$10.78

24.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$8.49 R$45.42

-14.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.94 R$21.05

95.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$8.10 R$43.29

56.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.07 R$11.06

34.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.24 R$6.63

10.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.12 R$5.99

127.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.43 R$7.66

48.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.12 R$5.98

73.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.01 R$5.40

87.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.71 R$3.79

61.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.76 R$4.05

55.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.09 R$11.16

105.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$8.41 R$44.97

18.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.17 R$6.27

35.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.98 R$10.57

34.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.98 R$5.22

-43.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$41.09 R$220

-35.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.24 R$6.64

300.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.85 R$4.56

291.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$7.49 R$40.03

-28.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.08 R$5.79

33.33%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$21.7K R$116.1K

-4.87%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$30.9K R$165.1K

-24.03%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$51.0 R$272

66.39%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$11.30 R$60.4

107.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$20.28 R$108

41.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$17.63 R$94.3

223.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$26.29 R$141

9.97%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$6.65 R$35.56

-22.71%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$262 R$1,402

-21.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$6,752 R$36.1K

-41.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$75.8 R$405

-42.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$63.7 R$340

-34.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$104 R$555

-28.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$81.5 R$436

9.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$340 R$1,819

187.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$232 R$1,240

64.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$626 R$3,350

172.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$443 R$2,368

142.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,550 R$8,287

154.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,149 R$6,143

435.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$703 R$3,758

4.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.09%

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 Americana: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Americana

$232 27.7% 39.1% $149

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Americana

$181 21.7% 28.9% $74

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Americana

$113 13.5% 44% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Americana

$83 9.9% 39.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Americana

$146 17.5% 30.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Americana

$31 3.7% 54.1% $36

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Americana

$51 6% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $340 in Americana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 4% 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: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $23 in Americana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $181 per month, with Americana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Americana

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

237,240

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Americana 6,470 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Americana

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 Americana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Americana wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Americana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $340 in Americana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 35% less than in Americana. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $262 in Americana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Americana is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Americana wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.