Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Andover, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,787 in Andover, MA, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Andover, MA, United States
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Andover, MA
🇺🇸 United States
$2,787
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Andover, MA

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,787 in Andover, MA, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Andover, MA $2,787

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,130 in Andover, MA, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Andover, MA $4,130

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,473 in Andover, MA, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Andover, MA $5,473

Playa del Carmen is about 57% cheaper than Andover, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Andover, MA is 106% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Andover, MA
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$20.86 $20.86
-48.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$90.8 $90.8
-51.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$11.91 $11.91
-1.01%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$4.35 $4.35
-12.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$3.29 $3.29
-60.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$1.47 $1.47
-43.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$6.79 $6.79
-53.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$7.30 $7.30
-32.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Andover, MA
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.53 $1.53
-7.84%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$4.91 $4.91
-55.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$4.16 $4.16
-64.66%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.47
$5.04 $5.04
-50.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$22.79 $22.79
-68.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$13.01 $13.01
-38.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$17.20 $17.20
-25.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$7.15 $7.15
-59.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$2.11 $2.11
-34.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.36
$4.54 $4.54
-45.15%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.78
$4.40 $4.40
-53.86%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.69
$1.57 $1.57
28.66%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$2.73 $2.73
-30.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$1.11 $1.11
2.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.06
$3.05 $3.05
-59.34%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$13.76 $13.76
-68.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$16.06 $16.06
-38.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$1.76 $1.76
-9.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$2.05 $2.05
34.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Andover, MA
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$1.84 $1.84
-72.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
$64.4 $64.4
-57.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$5.11 $5.11
-6.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$2.30 $2.30
41.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$48.65 $48.65
-88.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.15 $1.15
33.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$28.2K $28.2K
-24.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$26.2K $26.2K
-11.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Andover, MA
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$190 $190
-56.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$54.1 $54.1
-57.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$53.6 $53.6
-48.52%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Andover, MA
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$41.72 $41.72
35.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$13.20 $13.20
-62.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Andover, MA
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$818 $818
-74.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.4K
$35.1K $35.1K
-85.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Andover, MA
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$58.8 $58.8
-26.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$38.10 $38.10
11.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$53.0 $53.0
37.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$79.6 $79.6
11.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Andover, MA
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$1,586 $1,586
-37.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$1,436 $1,436
-73.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$2,547 $2,547
-34.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$2,384 $2,384
-54.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$2,989 $2,989
30.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$2,534 $2,534
142.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Andover, MA
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
$5,661 $5,661
-85.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
6.59
73.75%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Andover, MA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Andover, MA
$1.4K 276% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Andover, MA
$471 82.9% $213
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Andover, MA
$322 61% $122
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Andover, MA
$298 122% $164
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Andover, MA
$103 7.1% $7.9
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Andover, MA
$68 2.5% $1.7
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Andover, MA
$88 75.1% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,586 in Andover, MA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Andover, MA are about 6.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $91 in Andover, MA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $471 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇺🇸 Andover, MA
🕒 Local time
17:17 5:17 PM
17:17 5:17 PM
Same time as Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
33,475
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Andover, MA 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Andover, MA

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 Andover, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Andover, MA?
Yes – Andover, MA is pricier by about 132%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,180 in Andover, MA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,586 in Andover, MA.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $818 in Andover, MA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Andover, MA?
Groceries cost about 83% more in Andover, MA, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Andover, MA?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Andover, MA at $2,787. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Andover, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Andover, MA more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Andover, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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