Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Columbia, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,193 in Columbia, SC, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
105

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, SC
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Columbia, SC Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Columbia, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Columbia, SC

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 Columbia, SC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,193 in Columbia, SC.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Columbia, SC $2,193

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,366 in Columbia, SC.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Columbia, SC $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,538 in Columbia, SC.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Columbia, SC $4,538

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 45% less than in Columbia, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Columbia, SC is 61% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$19.80 $19.80

-44.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$61.1 $61.1

-28.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$11.97 $11.97

-1.59%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$5.42 $5.42

-29.70%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$2.80 $2.80

-54.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$2.18 $2.18

-64.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$5.43 $5.43

-41.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$6.39 $6.39

-22.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.84 $0.84

67.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$2.53 $2.53

-12.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$4.52 $4.52

-68.58%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$4.03 $4.03

-37.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$10.49 $10.49

-30.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$11.14 $11.14

-30.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$15.89 $15.89

-20.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$5.26 $5.26

-47.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.63 $1.63

-15.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$6.45 $6.45

-60.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$6.17 $6.17

-65.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$3.10 $3.10

-37.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$4.36 $4.36

-56.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$2.01 $2.01

-42.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.79 $1.79

-34.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$8.40 $8.40

-48.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$15.62 $15.62

-36.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.83 $1.83

-13.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.68 $2.68

-0.37%

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

$40.15 $40.15

-33.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.98 $1.98

151.01%

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

$17.89 $17.89

-70.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.91 $0.91

58.24%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$26.8K $26.8K

-22.93%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$25.2K $25.2K

-6.90%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$277 $277

-69.42%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$60.2 $60.2

-61.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$63.8 $63.8

-55.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$34.47 $34.47

65.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$18.22 $18.22

58.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$15.22 $15.22

-66.23%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$1,117 $1,117

-81.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$22.9K $22.9K

-82.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$52.3 $52.3

-17.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$39.57 $39.57

4.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$82.2 $82.2

-9.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$114 $114

-21.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$1,430 $1,430

-31.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$832 $832

-54.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$3,198 $3,198

-46.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,672 $1,672

-35.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,313 $2,313

70.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,668 $1,668

269.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$3,240 $3,240

-77.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.56

74.54%

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 Columbia, SC: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Columbia, SC

$832 37.9% 118% $451

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Columbia, SC

$389 17.7% 52.6% $134

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Columbia, SC

$319 14.6% 57.7% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Columbia, SC

$401 18.3% 193% $264

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Columbia, SC

$130 5.9% 16.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Columbia, SC

$65 3% 3.6% $2.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Columbia, SC

$58 2.6% 14.9% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,430 in Columbia, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbia, SC pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $61 in Columbia, SC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $389 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Columbia, SC

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

16:00 4:00 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

139,698

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Columbia, SC 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Columbia, SC

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 Columbia, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 77% lower in Playa del Carmen. 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,430 in Columbia, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Columbia, SC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $61 in Columbia, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,193 in Columbia, SC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Columbia, SC. 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 Columbia, SC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Columbia, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.