Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Fall River, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,694 in Fall River, MA, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 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
130

Cost of Living Index in Fall River, MA
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Fall River, MA Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Fall River, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Fall River, MA

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 Fall River, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,694 in Fall River, MA.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Fall River, MA $2,694

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,832 in Fall River, MA.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Fall River, MA $3,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,970 in Fall River, MA.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Fall River, MA $4,970

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 55% less than in Fall River, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Fall River, MA is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$18.29 $18.29

-41.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$90.8 $90.8

-51.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$12.01 $12.01

-1.83%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$5.17 $5.17

-26.69%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$2.91 $2.91

-55.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$2.27 $2.27

-63.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$4.95 $4.95

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$8.07 $8.07

-38.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.03 $1.03

36.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.92 $3.92

-43.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$5.51 $5.51

-73.32%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$5.45 $5.45

-54.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$15.90 $15.90

-54.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$14.35 $14.35

-44.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$17.29 $17.29

-25.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$6.54 $6.54

-55.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.78 $1.78

-22.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$5.53 $5.53

-54.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$5.45 $5.45

-62.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$4.48 $4.48

-54.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.92 $1.92

-1.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$2.36 $2.36

-51.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$2.66 $2.66

-53.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$13.01 $13.01

-67.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$13.75 $13.75

-28.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.06 $2.06

-22.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.86 $3.86

-28.76%

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

$2.58 $2.58

84.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.72 $1.72

88.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$28.03 $28.03

-80.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.11 $1.11

37.84%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$27.3K $27.3K

-22.40%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$26.1K $26.1K

-11.04%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$235 $235

-64.49%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$55.5 $55.5

-58.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$79.6 $79.6

-65.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$27.41 $27.41

105.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$30.02 $30.02

-6.10%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$16.17 $16.17

-69.08%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$1,811 $1,811

-88.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$44.6K $44.6K

-88.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$56.8 $56.8

-23.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$38.42 $38.42

10.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$113 $113

-35.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$102 $102

-13.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$1,157 $1,157

-14.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$1,345 $1,345

-71.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$1,887 $1,887

-11.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$1,931 $1,931

-44.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,834 $2,834

37.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$2,788 $2,788

120.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$3,317 $3,317

-74.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.85

67.15%

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 Fall River, MA: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Fall River, MA

$1.3K 50% 252% $963

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Fall River, MA

$461 17.1% 79.3% $204

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Fall River, MA

$306 11.4% 52.8% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Fall River, MA

$370 13.7% 176% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Fall River, MA

$140 5.2% 25.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Fall River, MA

$60 2.2% 10.1% $6.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Fall River, MA

$11 * 0.4% 77.8% $39

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 $1,157 in Fall River, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fall River, MA pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $91 in Fall River, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $461 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Fall River, MA

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

88,857

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Fall River, MA 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Fall River, MA

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 Fall River, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Fall River, MA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 75% 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,157 in Fall River, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Fall River, MA. 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 $2,694 in Fall River, MA – Playa del Carmen is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,694 in Fall River, MA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Fall River, MA. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Fall River, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.