Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,645 in Burlington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, NC
Learn more

Burlington, NC Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Burlington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,645 in Burlington, NC, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Burlington, NC $2,645

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,850 in Burlington, NC, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Burlington, NC $3,850

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,054 in Burlington, NC, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Burlington, NC $5,054

Playa del Carmen is about 55% cheaper than Burlington, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Burlington, NC is 96% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$19.38 $19.38

-44.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$813

$74.3 $74.3

-41.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$10.92 $10.92

7.97%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.3

$5.04 $5.04

-24.80%

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

$1.30 MX$24.07

$2.62 $2.62

-50.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.47

$1.95 $1.95

-57.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.4

$6.16 $6.16

-48.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

$6.80 $6.80

-27.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.14

$1.04 $1.04

35.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.75

$3.52 $3.52

-37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.33

$4.23 $4.23

-65.25%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.34

$4.22 $4.22

-40.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$135

$12.02 $12.02

-39.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$11.26 $11.26

-29.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$15.19 $15.19

-15.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.8

$4.76 $4.76

-39.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.67

$1.56 $1.56

-11.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.23

$4.12 $4.12

-39.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.67

$4.61 $4.61

-55.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.58

$2.87 $2.87

-29.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.32

$2.88 $2.88

-34.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.24

$2.11 $2.11

-45.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.99

$2.12 $2.12

-41.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

$9.40 $9.40

-54.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$182

$13.88 $13.88

-29.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.43

$1.79 $1.79

-11.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.0

$3.37 $3.37

-18.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

$2.05 $2.05

-75.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$508

$59.9 $59.9

-54.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

$3.46 $3.46

37.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

$1.59 $1.59

104.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$29.13 $29.13

-81.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.36

$0.83 $0.83

84.34%

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

$21.2K MX$393.7K

$29.1K $29.1K

-27.08%

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

$23.3K MX$431.7K

$25.7K $25.7K

-9.60%

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

$83.5 MX$1,549

$188 $188

-55.52%

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

$23.19 MX$430

$53.1 $53.1

-56.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$512

$68.2 $68.2

-59.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,047

$42.74 $42.74

32.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$523

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.8

$13.63 $13.63

-63.32%

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

$207 MX$3,843

$1,310 $1,310

-84.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.1K

$23.2K $23.2K

-77.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$806

$50.4 $50.4

-13.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$789

$40.77 $40.77

4.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,350

$85.8 $85.8

-15.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,640

$114 $114

-22.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$1,611 $1,611

-38.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,097

$1,363 $1,363

-71.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

$2,655 $2,655

-36.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$2,223 $2,223

-51.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.5K

$2,746 $2,746

42.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$113.9K

$2,444 $2,444

151.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.51

75.88%

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 Burlington, NC: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Burlington, NC

$1.4K 51.5% 257% $981

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Burlington, NC

$382 14.4% 48.3% $124

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Burlington, NC

$311 11.8% 55.2% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Burlington, NC

$309 11.7% 130% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Burlington, NC

$131 5% 17.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Burlington, NC

$70 2.7% 5.4% $3.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Burlington, NC

$80 3% 57.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,611 in Burlington, NC. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $74 in Burlington, NC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $382 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Burlington, NC

🕒 Local time

11:18 11:18 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

44,743

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.85 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Burlington, NC 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Burlington, NC

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, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $2,645 in Burlington, NC – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 55% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,968 in Burlington, NC. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,611 in Burlington, NC.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,310 in Burlington, NC. 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 $1,202, than in Burlington, NC at $2,645. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.