Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cathedral City, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,626 in Cathedral City, CA, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Cathedral City, CA
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Cathedral City, CA Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cathedral City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Cathedral City, CA

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 Cathedral City, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,626 in Cathedral City, CA.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cathedral City, CA $2,626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,862 in Cathedral City, CA.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cathedral City, CA $3,862

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,098 in Cathedral City, CA.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cathedral City, CA $5,098

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 54% less than in Cathedral City, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Cathedral City, CA is 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$18.69 $18.69

-41.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$75.8 $75.8

-42.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$10.90 $10.90

8.07%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$5.18 $5.18

-26.45%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$2.49 $2.49

-48.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.97 $1.97

-60.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$6.04 $6.04

-47.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$6.96 $6.96

-29.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.00 $1.00

41.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$3.46 $3.46

-35.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$4.42 $4.42

-67.87%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$4.25 $4.25

-40.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$12.16 $12.16

-40.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$11.32 $11.32

-31.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$15.20 $15.20

-16.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$4.82 $4.82

-42.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.58 $1.58

-13.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$4.22 $4.22

-39.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$4.58 $4.58

-53.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$2.80 $2.80

-30.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.86 $2.86

-33.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$2.12 $2.12

-45.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$2.17 $2.17

-45.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$9.77 $9.77

-55.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$13.90 $13.90

-28.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.77 $1.77

-10.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$3.45 $3.45

-22.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.98 $1.98

-72.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$62.0 $62.0

-57.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.55 $3.55

40.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.59 $1.59

109.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$29.44 $29.44

-81.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.89 $0.89

61.80%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$29.8K $29.8K

-30.69%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$26.0K $26.0K

-9.89%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$186 $186

-54.51%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$53.2 $53.2

-56.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$68.8 $68.8

-58.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$42.71 $42.71

33.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$13.46 $13.46

-61.81%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$1,308 $1,308

-84.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$23.8K $23.8K

-83.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$50.3 $50.3

-13.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$39.94 $39.94

3.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$85.1 $85.1

-12.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$113 $113

-21.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$1,629 $1,629

-39.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$1,347 $1,347

-71.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$2,592 $2,592

-34.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$2,266 $2,266

-52.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,761 $2,761

42.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$2,402 $2,402

156.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cathedral City, CA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cathedral City, CA

$1.3K 51.3% 254% $966

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cathedral City, CA

$384 14.6% 50.5% $129

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cathedral City, CA

$306 11.7% 51.4% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cathedral City, CA

$308 11.8% 125% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cathedral City, CA

$130 5% 16.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cathedral City, CA

$70 2.7% 3.4% $2.3

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cathedral City, CA

$81 3.1% 61.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,629 in Cathedral City, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $76 in Cathedral City, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $384 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Cathedral City, CA

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

15:28 3:28 PM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

51,493

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cathedral City, CA 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cathedral City, CA

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 Cathedral City, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,626 in Cathedral City, CA, so Playa del Carmen is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $3,939 in Cathedral City, CA 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,629 in Cathedral City, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 57% less than in Cathedral City, CA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,308 in Cathedral City, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,626 in Cathedral City, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Cathedral City, CA. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Cathedral City, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.