Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Concord, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,978 in Concord, NC, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Concord, NC
🇺🇸 United States
$1,978
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Concord, NC

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 Concord, NC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,978 in Concord, NC, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,215
  • Concord, NC $1,978

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,194 in Concord, NC, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,144
  • Concord, NC $3,194

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,410 in Concord, NC, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,072
  • Concord, NC $4,410

Playa del Carmen is about 39% cheaper than Concord, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Concord, NC is 48% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Concord, NC
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.97 MX$201
$15.80 $15.80
-30.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.85 MX$823
$91.3 $91.3
-50.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.92 MX$219
$11.87 $11.87
0.42%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$69.9
$7.17 $7.17
-47.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.08
$3.05 $3.05
-57.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 MX$15.72
$2.27 $2.27
-62.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.21 MX$59.0
$8.07 $8.07
-60.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.01 MX$92.0
$9.22 $9.22
-45.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Concord, NC
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$26.77
$0.78 $0.78
87.18%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 MX$42.72
$3.30 $3.30
-29.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.48
$4.28 $4.28
-66.36%
Eggs
$2.46 MX$45.20
$3.66 $3.66
-32.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.70 MX$141
$6.58 $6.58
17.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.89 MX$145
$6.13 $6.13
28.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.80 MX$235
$17.62 $17.62
-27.36%
Apples (1kg)
$2.92 MX$53.6
$6.52 $6.52
-55.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.11
$1.32 $1.32
7.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.57 MX$47.10
$6.48 $6.48
-60.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.24
$2.20 $2.20
-2.73%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.75
-
-
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 MX$35.55
-
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.13
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.42
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 MX$80.3
-
-
Wine (Bottle)
$9.85 MX$181
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.23
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 MX$49.86
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Concord, NC
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.64
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.42 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.91 MX$90.2
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.52 MX$64.7
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.69 MX$104
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 MX$28.27
$0.99 $0.99
55.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$389.9K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K MX$449.6K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Concord, NC
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.6 MX$1,535
$139 $139
-40.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.03 MX$441
$121 $121
-80.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.33 MX$539
$68.0 $68.0
-56.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Concord, NC
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.9 MX$1,191
$49.02 $49.02
32.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.46 MX$541
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.09 MX$93.4
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Concord, NC
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 MX$3,813
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,045 MX$74.3K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Concord, NC
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.55 MX$818
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.06 MX$772
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.5 MX$1,387
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.4 MX$1,678
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Concord, NC
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$986 MX$18.1K
$1,304 $1,304
-24.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$385 MX$7,072
$994 $994
-61.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,713 MX$31.5K
$2,007 $2,007
-14.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,108 MX$20.4K
$2,137 $2,137
-48.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,016 MX$73.7K
$2,363 $2,363
69.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,247 MX$114.7K
$2,348 $2,348
166.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Concord, NC
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$758 MX$13.9K
$3,828 $3,828
-80.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
0
-

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Concord, NC: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$385
Concord, NC
$994 158% $608
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$260
Concord, NC
$253 * 2.7% $7.1
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$204
Concord, NC
$328 60.9% $124
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Concord, NC
$328 140% $191
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$114
Concord, NC
- * 100%
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$75
Concord, NC
$49 * 34.7% $26
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Concord, NC
- * 100%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,304 in Concord, NC. 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 405% higher in Concord, NC, 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 $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $91.0 in Concord, NC. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Playa del Carmen vs $253 in Concord, NC – so Concord, NC wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇺🇸 Concord, NC
🕒 Local time
18:55 6:55 PM
19:55 7:55 PM
1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
42,695
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Concord, NC 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Concord, NC

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 Concord, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Concord, NC cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Concord, NC is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,967 in Concord, NC. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Concord, NC?
Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Concord, NC – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Concord, NC?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen and $91.0 in Concord, NC. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Concord, NC?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Concord, NC at $1,978. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Concord, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Concord, NC more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Concord, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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