Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Del Rio, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,963 in Del Rio, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Del Rio, TX
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Del Rio, TX Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Del Rio, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,963

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Del Rio, TX

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 Del Rio, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,963 in Del Rio, TX.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Del Rio, TX $1,963

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,946 in Del Rio, TX.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Del Rio, TX $2,946

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,930 in Del Rio, TX.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Del Rio, TX $3,930

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 39% less than in Del Rio, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Del Rio, TX is 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$18.02 $18.02

-40.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$47.84 $47.84

-8.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$11.19 $11.19

5.36%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$5.38 $5.38

-29.55%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$2.17 $2.17

-40.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.68 $1.68

-50.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.99 $3.99

-21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$4.89 $4.89

0.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.15 $1.15

22.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.43 $3.43

-35.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$4.46 $4.46

-67.04%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$3.75 $3.75

-33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$12.00 $12.00

-39.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$11.57 $11.57

-31.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$17.88 $17.88

-28.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$4.66 $4.66

-37.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.60 $1.60

-13.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$4.50 $4.50

-44.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$3.55 $3.55

-42.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$2.70 $2.70

-25.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$3.13 $3.13

-39.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.90 $1.90

-40.00%

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

$10.01 $10.01

-57.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$14.77 $14.77

-33.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.71 $2.71

-41.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.52 $3.52

-21.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$3.51 $3.51

35.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.83 $1.83

77.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$27.50 $27.50

-80.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.96 $0.96

59.38%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$35.5K $35.5K

-40.27%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$26.4K $26.4K

-12.00%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$217 $217

-61.56%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$72.5 $72.5

-68.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$78.2 $78.2

-64.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$14.92 $14.92

-66.49%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$1,294 $1,294

-83.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$24.5K $24.5K

-78.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$53.9 $53.9

-19.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$49.51 $49.51

-14.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$140 $140

-48.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$153 $153

-42.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$842 $842

18.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$693 $693

-44.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$1,540 $1,540

8.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$1,286 $1,286

-15.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,646 $1,646

137.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,687 $1,687

263.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.48

76.70%

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 Del Rio, TX: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Del Rio, TX

$693 35.3% 81.2% $310

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Del Rio, TX

$394 20.1% 53.1% $137

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Del Rio, TX

$287 14.6% 43.5% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Del Rio, TX

$368 18.7% 174% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Del Rio, TX

$178 9.1% 60.4% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Del Rio, TX

$30 * 1.5% 55.1% $37

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Del Rio, TX

$13 * 0.7% 74.9% $38

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 $995 in Playa del Carmen and $842 in Del Rio, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $48 in Del Rio, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $394 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Del Rio, TX

🕒 Local time

18:30 6:30 PM

17:30 5:30 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

34,673

💱 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 Del Rio, TX 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Del Rio, TX

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 Del Rio, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $2,945 in Del Rio, TX to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $842 in Del Rio, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,963 in Del Rio, TX – Playa del Carmen is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,963 in Del Rio, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Del Rio, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.