Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and East Chicago, IN

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,605 in East Chicago, IN, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 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
126

Cost of Living Index in East Chicago, IN
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East Chicago, IN Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

East Chicago, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,605

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in East Chicago, IN

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 East Chicago, IN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,605 in East Chicago, IN, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
East Chicago, IN $2,605

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,819 in East Chicago, IN, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
East Chicago, IN $3,819

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,034 in East Chicago, IN, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
East Chicago, IN $5,034

Playa del Carmen is about 54% cheaper than East Chicago, IN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while East Chicago, IN is 91% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$22.32 $22.32

-51.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$65.1 $65.1

-33.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$11.87 $11.87

-0.76%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$5.63 $5.63

-32.33%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$2.28 $2.28

-43.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$2.05 $2.05

-61.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$6.81 $6.81

-53.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$6.27 $6.27

-21.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.06 $1.06

33.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$3.05 $3.05

-27.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$4.75 $4.75

-70.11%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$3.58 $3.58

-29.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$13.42 $13.42

-45.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$12.42 $12.42

-38.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$18.70 $18.70

-32.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$5.08 $5.08

-45.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.55 $1.55

-11.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$4.28 $4.28

-40.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$4.13 $4.13

-48.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$2.79 $2.79

-30.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$3.07 $3.07

-38.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$2.23 $2.23

-48.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$2.23 $2.23

-47.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$10.24 $10.24

-58.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$17.19 $17.19

-42.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.98 $1.98

-20.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$3.10 $3.10

-13.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.86 $1.86

-70.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$51.2 $51.2

-48.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.41 $3.41

45.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.56 $1.56

113.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$28.94 $28.94

-81.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.94 $0.94

53.19%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$28.8K $28.8K

-28.29%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$24.9K $24.9K

-5.84%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$199 $199

-57.43%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$57.1 $57.1

-59.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$69.7 $69.7

-58.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$34.38 $34.38

65.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$12.97 $12.97

-60.37%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$1,336 $1,336

-84.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$21.6K $21.6K

-81.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$55.8 $55.8

-22.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$37.96 $37.96

9.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$91.3 $91.3

-18.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$108 $108

-17.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$1,578 $1,578

-37.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$1,265 $1,265

-69.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$2,539 $2,539

-32.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$2,140 $2,140

-49.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,920 $2,920

35.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$2,165 $2,165

184.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$4,091 $4,091

-82.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.57

74.28%

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 East Chicago, IN: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

East Chicago, IN

$1.3K 48.6% 232% $884

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

East Chicago, IN

$406 15.6% 59.3% $151

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

East Chicago, IN

$346 13.3% 70.8% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

East Chicago, IN

$326 12.5% 138% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

East Chicago, IN

$132 5.1% 18.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

East Chicago, IN

$60 2.3% 10.4% $7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

East Chicago, IN

$70 2.7% 38.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,578 in East Chicago, IN. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in East Chicago, IN are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $65 in East Chicago, IN. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $406 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 East Chicago, IN

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

26,370

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 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 = 0.899 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen East Chicago, IN 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
East Chicago, IN

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 East Chicago, IN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – East Chicago, IN is pricier by about 116%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,907 in East Chicago, IN. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,578 in East Chicago, IN.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,605 in East Chicago, IN. That’s a gap of about 116%.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in East Chicago, IN at $2,605. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in East Chicago, IN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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