Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Franklin, TN

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,122 in Franklin, TN, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Franklin, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$3,122

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Franklin, TN

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 Franklin, TN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,122 in Franklin, TN, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Franklin, TN $3,122

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,506 in Franklin, TN, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Franklin, TN $4,506

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,889 in Franklin, TN, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Franklin, TN $5,889

Playa del Carmen is about 61% cheaper than Franklin, TN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Franklin, TN is 129% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$28.12 $28.12

-61.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$87.3 $87.3

-50.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$11.90 $11.90

-1.01%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$7.33 $7.33

-48.02%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$3.37 $3.37

-62.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$2.29 $2.29

-65.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$7.55 $7.55

-58.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$8.07 $8.07

-38.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$1.31 $1.31

7.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$3.81 $3.81

-41.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$5.71 $5.71

-55.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$15.47 $15.47

-53.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$17.84 $17.84

-56.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$3.94 $3.94

-29.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.93 $1.93

-29.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$1.97 $1.97

-1.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$2.13 $2.13

-11.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$2.47 $2.47

-53.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$9.46 $9.46

-54.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$12.87 $12.87

-22.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$0.98 $0.98

-43.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

$61.0 $61.0

-56.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$0.87 $0.87

65.52%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$28.1K $28.1K

-26.45%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$27.2K $27.2K

-13.76%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$214 $214

-60.29%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$116 $116

-79.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$90.5 $90.5

-68.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$58.6 $58.6

-2.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$16.06 $16.06

-68.00%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$397 $397

-47.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$98.6 $98.6

-56.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$63.7 $63.7

-34.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$75.6 $75.6

-1.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$112 $112

-20.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$1,924 $1,924

-49.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$1,677 $1,677

-77.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$3,203 $3,203

-46.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$2,711 $2,711

-60.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

$3,526 $3,526

11.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$2,932 $2,932

109.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

$6,239 $6,239

-88.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.59

73.75%

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 Franklin, TN: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Franklin, TN

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Franklin, TN

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Franklin, TN

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Franklin, TN

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Franklin, TN

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Franklin, TN

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Franklin, TN

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,924 in Franklin, TN. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Franklin, TN are about 8.5 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 $87 in Franklin, TN. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $287 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Franklin, TN

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

02:31 2:31 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

83,454

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Franklin, TN 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Franklin, TN

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 Franklin, TN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $3,122 in Franklin, TN – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 61% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,683 in Franklin, TN. 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 $1,924 in Franklin, TN.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $397 in Franklin, TN. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Franklin, TN at $3,122. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Franklin, TN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $3,122 in Franklin, TN. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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