Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Clinton, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,426 in Clinton, IA, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Clinton, IA
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Clinton, IA Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Clinton, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Clinton, IA

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,426 in Clinton, IA, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Clinton, IA $2,426

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,444 in Clinton, IA, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Clinton, IA $3,444

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,462 in Clinton, IA, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Clinton, IA $4,462

Playa del Carmen is about 50% cheaper than Clinton, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Clinton, IA is 79% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$7.15 $7.15

49.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$50.3 $50.3

-12.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$11.77 $11.77

0.17%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$5.66 $5.66

-33.04%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$3.04 $3.04

-57.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$2.03 $2.03

-59.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$6.66 $6.66

-52.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$7.28 $7.28

-32.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.76 $0.76

85.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$2.22 $2.22

-0.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$2.22 $2.22

-33.78%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$1.96 $1.96

27.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$13.40 $13.40

-45.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$6.79 $6.79

17.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$19.92 $19.92

-35.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.25 $2.25

28.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.60 $1.60

-13.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$3.38 $3.38

-26.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$2.26 $2.26

-10.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$1.12 $1.12

80.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.25 $2.25

-15.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$2.02 $2.02

-43.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$2.26 $2.26

-45.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$10.63 $10.63

-59.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$15.36 $15.36

-36.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.68 $2.68

-40.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$4.35 $4.35

-36.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.88 $1.88

-72.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$64.9 $64.9

-57.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$4.06 $4.06

17.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.99 $1.99

63.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$43.43 $43.43

-87.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.01 $1.01

51.49%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$30.7K $30.7K

-30.79%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$26.1K $26.1K

-11.01%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$252 $252

-66.90%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$32.28 $32.28

-28.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$47.74 $47.74

-42.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$39.25 $39.25

43.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$10.18 $10.18

-50.88%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$1,595 $1,595

-87.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$21.4K $21.4K

-75.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$61.7 $61.7

-29.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$47.50 $47.50

-10.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$79.7 $79.7

-8.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$123 $123

-28.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$686 $686

45.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$1,257 $1,257

-69.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$2,582 $2,582

-35.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$2,078 $2,078

-48.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,568 $2,568

52.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$2,221 $2,221

176.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$5,519 $5,519

-84.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

90.83%

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 Clinton, IA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Clinton, IA

$1.3K 51.8% 229% $874

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Clinton, IA

$322 13.3% 25.1% $65

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Clinton, IA

$229 9.4% 14.1% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Clinton, IA

$332 13.7% 147% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Clinton, IA

$140 5.8% 26.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Clinton, IA

$60 2.5% 10.3% $6.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Clinton, IA

$86 3.6% 71.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $686 in Clinton, IA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Clinton, IA are about 6.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $50 in Clinton, IA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $322 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Clinton, IA

🕒 Local time

16:49 4:49 PM

15:49 3:49 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

45,884

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Clinton, IA 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Clinton, IA

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 Clinton, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Clinton, IA costs about 102% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,639 in Clinton, IA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Clinton, IA, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $686 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,595 in Clinton, IA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Clinton, IA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Clinton, IA at $2,426. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Clinton, IA 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $2,426 in Clinton, IA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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