Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Burlington, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,769 in Burlington, IA, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
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Burlington, IA Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Burlington, IA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,769 in Burlington, IA.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Burlington, IA $1,769

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,675 in Burlington, IA.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Burlington, IA $2,675

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,580 in Burlington, IA.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Burlington, IA $3,580

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 32% less than in Burlington, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Burlington, IA is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$11.35 $11.35

-4.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$59.1 $59.1

-25.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$8.84 $8.84

33.03%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$4.74 $4.74

-22.36%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.95 $1.95

-31.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$2.02 $2.02

-59.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$3.41 $3.41

-10.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$4.58 $4.58

7.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.81 $0.81

81.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.82 $2.82

-21.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$4.34 $4.34

-65.90%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.92 $2.92

-14.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$11.37 $11.37

-33.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$11.93 $11.93

-33.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$14.20 $14.20

-11.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$4.02 $4.02

-30.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.98 $1.98

-27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$4.61 $4.61

-43.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.65 $4.65

-53.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.74 $2.74

-26.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.60 $2.60

-23.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.54 $1.54

-25.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$2.06 $2.06

-41.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$8.16 $8.16

-47.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$16.29 $16.29

-38.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.89 $1.89

-18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.27 $2.27

17.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.94 $1.94

-72.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$15.76 $15.76

74.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$4.67 $4.67

4.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.02 $1.02

236.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$22.19 $22.19

-75.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.94 $0.94

54.26%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$22.7K $22.7K

-6.92%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$25.0K $25.0K

-7.86%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$184 $184

-53.63%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$47.16 $47.16

-50.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$59.2 $59.2

-51.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$42.42 $42.42

46.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$11.92 $11.92

-57.21%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$1,210 $1,210

-83.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$13.3K $13.3K

-70.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$44.72 $44.72

-0.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$30.53 $30.53

35.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$87.0 $87.0

-16.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$37.90 $37.90

136.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$754 $754

29.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$707 $707

-47.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,172 $1,172

43.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,280 $1,280

-14.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,026 $1,026

284.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,033 $1,033

494.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$4,446 $4,446

-83.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.54

75.08%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Burlington, IA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Burlington, IA

$707 40% 89.6% $334

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Burlington, IA

$366 20.7% 41.7% $108

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Burlington, IA

$216 12.2% 8.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Burlington, IA

$290 16.4% 112% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Burlington, IA

$90 5.1% 19.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Burlington, IA

$66 3.7% 8.5% $6.1

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Burlington, IA

$33 1.9% 35.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $754 in Burlington, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, IA pays 503% 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: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $59.0 in Burlington, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $366 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

44,743

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Burlington, IA 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Burlington, IA

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 Burlington, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Burlington, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 503% lower in Burlington, IA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $754 in Burlington, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,210 in Burlington, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Burlington, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,769 in Burlington, IA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Burlington, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Burlington, IA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Burlington, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.