Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Champaign, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,161 in Champaign, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Champaign, IL
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Champaign, IL Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Champaign, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Champaign, IL

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,161 in Champaign, IL, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Champaign, IL $2,161

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,133 in Champaign, IL, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Champaign, IL $3,133

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,106 in Champaign, IL, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Champaign, IL $4,106

Playa del Carmen is about 44% cheaper than Champaign, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Champaign, IL is 60% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$15.25 $15.25

-29.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$60.8 $60.8

-29.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$10.11 $10.11

16.62%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$4.83 $4.83

-19.88%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.15 $2.15

-36.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.73 $1.73

-51.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$5.57 $5.57

-44.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$5.35 $5.35

-5.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$0.85 $0.85

69.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$3.14 $3.14

-28.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$3.13 $3.13

-53.04%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$3.88 $3.88

-34.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$12.19 $12.19

-40.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$5.96 $5.96

31.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$12.81 $12.81

-0.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.45 $3.45

-15.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.38 $1.38

4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$3.10 $3.10

-17.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$4.56 $4.56

-54.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$2.02 $2.02

-0.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$2.23 $2.23

-9.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$2.21 $2.21

-46.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.25 $1.25

0.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$10.25 $10.25

-57.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$14.71 $14.71

-34.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.15 $2.15

-26.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$4.08 $4.08

-31.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.97 $0.97

-41.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$20.38 $20.38

36.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$2.52 $2.52

97.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.59 $1.59

120.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.16 $1.16

26.72%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$35.1K $35.1K

-40.25%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$32.3K $32.3K

-25.88%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$240 $240

-64.90%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$45.66 $45.66

-47.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$67.6 $67.6

-57.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$25.34 $25.34

148.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$11.85 $11.85

145.91%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$11.09 $11.09

-55.46%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$993 $993

-79.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$19.9K $19.9K

-80.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$48.98 $48.98

-10.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$116 $116

-34.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$122 $122

-27.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$1,453 $1,453

-30.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$1,016 $1,016

-63.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,941 $1,941

-11.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$1,691 $1,691

-34.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,688 $1,688

133.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,709 $1,709

261.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$3,674 $3,674

-79.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.82

67.89%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Champaign, IL: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Champaign, IL

$1K 47% 172% $642

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Champaign, IL

$316 14.6% 22.3% $58

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Champaign, IL

$264 12.2% 30.7% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Champaign, IL

$353 16.3% 157% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Champaign, IL

$129 * 6% 14.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Champaign, IL

$48 2.2% 34.8% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Champaign, IL

$35 1.6% 33.9% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,453 in Champaign, IL. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 387% higher in Champaign, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $61.0 in Champaign, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $316 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Champaign, IL

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

88,302

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Champaign, IL 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Champaign, IL

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 Champaign, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, $2,161 in Champaign, IL – roughly 79% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,241 in Champaign, IL. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Champaign, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $61.0 in Champaign, IL. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Champaign, IL at $2,161. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Champaign, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $2,161 in Champaign, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Champaign, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.