Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Charleston, WV

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,829 in Charleston, WV, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Charleston, WV
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Charleston, WV Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Charleston, WV

🇺🇸 United States

$1,829

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Charleston, WV

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,829 in Charleston, WV.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Charleston, WV $1,829

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,694 in Charleston, WV.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Charleston, WV $2,694

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,559 in Charleston, WV.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Charleston, WV $3,559

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 34% less than in Charleston, WV, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Charleston, WV is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$14.33 $14.33

-24.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$50.0 $50.0

-13.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$10.07 $10.07

17.08%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.09 $3.09

25.24%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.32 $2.32

-40.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.84 $1.84

-54.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$3.03 $3.03

2.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$6.67 $6.67

-23.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$0.81 $0.81

77.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.23 $2.23

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.67 $1.67

-11.98%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$3.25 $3.25

-22.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$11.21 $11.21

-34.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$12.35 $12.35

-36.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$16.65 $16.65

-23.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$4.42 $4.42

-34.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.03 $1.03

39.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.16 $2.16

18.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$5.17 $5.17

-60.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.95 $1.95

2.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$2.86 $2.86

-29.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$2.03 $2.03

-41.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.01 $1.01

24.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$5.92 $5.92

-25.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$10.14 $10.14

-5.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.69 $1.69

-5.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$6.10 $6.10

-53.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.96 $0.96

53.13%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$35.8K $35.8K

-41.38%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$25.2K $25.2K

-5.25%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$204 $204

-58.72%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$44.92 $44.92

-46.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$54.3 $54.3

-46.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$30.39 $30.39

107.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$17.17 $17.17

69.71%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$12.04 $12.04

-58.97%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$543 $543

-62.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$6,393 $6,393

-38.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$39.37 $39.37

10.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$47.10 $47.10

-8.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$68.7 $68.7

10.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$119 $119

-25.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$1,017 $1,017

-0.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$790 $790

-52.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,749 $1,749

-2.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$1,330 $1,330

-16.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,132 $1,132

248.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,130 $1,130

446.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$3,589 $3,589

-78.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.66

71.92%

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 Charleston, WV: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Charleston, WV

$790 43.2% 111% $416

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Charleston, WV

$331 18.1% 28% $72

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Charleston, WV

$227 12.4% 12.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Charleston, WV

$303 16.6% 121% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Charleston, WV

$124 6.8% 9.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Charleston, WV

$54 3% 25.3% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Charleston, WV

- * 0% 100%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $1,017 in Charleston, WV. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Charleston, WV pays 376% 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: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $50.0 in Charleston, WV for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $331 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Charleston, WV

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

09:31 9:31 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

150,227

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Charleston, WV 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Charleston, WV

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 Charleston, WV: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 376% lower in Charleston, WV. 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,017 in Charleston, WV. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $543 in Charleston, WV. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $50.0 in Charleston, WV. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,829 in Charleston, WV, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Charleston, WV. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Charleston, WV, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Charleston, WV 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 51% less than in Charleston, WV. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.