Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Astoria, OR

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,806 in Astoria, OR, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Astoria, OR, United States
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Astoria, OR
🇺🇸 United States
$2,806
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Astoria, OR

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,806 in Astoria, OR.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Astoria, OR $2,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,838 in Astoria, OR.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Astoria, OR $3,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,869 in Astoria, OR.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Astoria, OR $4,869

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 57% less than in Astoria, OR, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Astoria, OR is 106% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Astoria, OR
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$203
$20.05 $20.05
-45.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$81.2 $81.2
-46.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$219
$8.11 $8.11
45.25%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$4.51 $4.51
-15.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.89
$1.95 $1.95
-34.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.58
$1.02 $1.02
-23.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$4.93 $4.93
-35.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.9
$4.03 $4.03
22.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Astoria, OR
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.20
$1.17 $1.17
20.51%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.30
$3.63 $3.63
-38.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.40
$4.06 $4.06
-65.02%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.00
$4.97 $4.97
-49.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$14.66 $14.66
-50.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$13.64 $13.64
-43.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$236
$17.94 $17.94
-29.26%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$4.96 $4.96
-43.95%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.49
$1.79 $1.79
-23.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.52
$3.87 $3.87
-34.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.55
$4.06 $4.06
-47.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.11
$3.09 $3.09
-37.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.13
$3.28 $3.28
-42.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.36
$1.84 $1.84
-37.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.96
$2.16 $2.16
-45.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.0
$11.53 $11.53
-62.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$15.12 $15.12
-34.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.50
$1.64 $1.64
-3.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.76
$3.02 $3.02
-11.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Astoria, OR
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.31
$2.09 $2.09
-73.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$496
$56.6 $56.6
-52.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.6
$3.56 $3.56
39.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$2.20 $2.20
51.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$49.23 $49.23
-89.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.90
$1.25 $1.25
15.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.0K
$26.0K $26.0K
-20.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.2K
$24.1K $24.1K
-2.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Astoria, OR
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,580
$218 $218
-61.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$60.5 $60.5
-61.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$98.5 $98.5
-70.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Astoria, OR
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
$37.34 $37.34
52.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.7
$15.18 $15.18
-66.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Astoria, OR
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,848
$1,084 $1,084
-80.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$16.4K $16.4K
-76.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Astoria, OR
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$57.4 $57.4
-24.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$46.48 $46.48
-10.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,382
$86.2 $86.2
-13.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,663
$81.0 $81.0
10.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Astoria, OR
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.2K
$1,460 $1,460
-32.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,095
$1,462 $1,462
-73.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
$2,529 $2,529
-32.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$1,914 $1,914
-43.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
$3,716 $3,716
6.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.7K
$3,633 $3,633
69.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Astoria, OR
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
-
-
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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Astoria, OR: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Astoria, OR
$1.5K 284% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Astoria, OR
$415 62.9% $160
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Astoria, OR
$283 40.1% $81
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Astoria, OR
$377 175% $240
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Astoria, OR
$122 9.2% $10
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Astoria, OR
$68 0.6% $0.4
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Astoria, OR
$80 57.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,460 in Astoria, OR. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $81 in Astoria, OR for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $415 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇺🇸 Astoria, OR
🕒 Local time
21:16 9:16 PM
19:16 7:16 PM
2 h behind Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
9,626
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Astoria, OR 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Astoria, OR

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 Astoria, OR: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Playa del Carmen and in Astoria, OR?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,806 in Astoria, OR, so Playa del Carmen is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Playa del Carmen compared to Astoria, OR?
You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $4,209 in Astoria, OR to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Astoria, OR?
Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,460 in Astoria, OR. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Astoria, OR. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $81 in Astoria, OR. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,806 in Astoria, OR, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Astoria, OR. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Playa del Carmen and Astoria, OR?
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.
Where should expats move: Playa del Carmen or Astoria, OR?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Astoria, OR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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