Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Castle Rock, CO

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Castle Rock, CO: $1,215 and $1,240 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Castle Rock, CO
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Castle Rock, CO Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Castle Rock, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$1,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Castle Rock, CO

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 Castle Rock, CO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,240 in Castle Rock, CO.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Castle Rock, CO $1,240

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,973 in Castle Rock, CO.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Castle Rock, CO $1,973

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,707 in Castle Rock, CO.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Castle Rock, CO $2,707

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 2% less than in Castle Rock, CO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Castle Rock, CO 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$22.17 $22.17

-50.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$65.2 $65.2

-31.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$9.12 $9.12

30.70%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$5.46 $5.46

-30.40%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$2.46 $2.46

-46.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$1.89 $1.89

-54.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$7.11 $7.11

-54.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$6.07 $6.07

-17.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.04 $1.04

40.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$2.99 $2.99

-22.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$2.70 $2.70

-46.67%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$4.33 $4.33

-43.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$10.91 $10.91

-29.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$9.40 $9.40

-16.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$19.09 $19.09

-32.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$4.80 $4.80

-39.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.42 $1.42

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$3.71 $3.71

-30.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$5.29 $5.29

-59.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$2.89 $2.89

-32.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$3.21 $3.21

-39.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.28 $1.28

-10.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$1.73 $1.73

-29.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$9.84 $9.84

-55.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$12.04 $12.04

-18.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$2.58 $2.58

-40.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$2.72 $2.72

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$2.45 $2.45

100.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$1.81 $1.81

94.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$24.56 $24.56

-76.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$0.79 $0.79

94.94%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$35.5K $35.5K

-40.18%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$25.3K $25.3K

-3.02%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$212 $212

-60.59%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$40.29 $40.29

-40.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$70.7 $70.7

-58.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$59.8 $59.8

8.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$11.94 $11.94

-57.37%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$1,295 $1,295

-83.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$17.7K $17.7K

-77.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$55.3 $55.3

-19.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$49.00 $49.00

-14.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$79.2 $79.2

-4.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$116 $116

-21.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$5,920 $5,920

-87.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.77

69.13%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Castle Rock, CO: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Castle Rock, CO

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Castle Rock, CO

$363 29% 39.3% $102

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Castle Rock, CO

$335 26.8% 64.4% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Castle Rock, CO

$323 25.8% 136% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Castle Rock, CO

$135 10.8% 18.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Castle Rock, CO

$84 6.7% 11.5% $8.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Castle Rock, CO

$11 * 0.9% 77.9% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Castle Rock, CO pays 681% 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: $45.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $65.0 in Castle Rock, CO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $363 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Castle Rock, CO

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

14:05 2:05 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

73,158

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Castle Rock, CO 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Castle Rock, CO

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 Castle Rock, CO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Castle Rock, CO differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,215 vs $1,240 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 681% lower in Castle Rock, CO. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Castle Rock, CO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,240 in Castle Rock, CO – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,240 in Castle Rock, CO, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Castle Rock, CO. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Castle Rock, CO 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 2% less than in Castle Rock, CO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.