Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Houghton, MI

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,736 in Houghton, MI, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Houghton, MI
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Houghton, MI Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Houghton, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Houghton, MI

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 Houghton, MI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,736 in Houghton, MI.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Houghton, MI $2,736

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,593 in Houghton, MI.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Houghton, MI $3,593

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,449 in Houghton, MI.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Houghton, MI $4,449

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 56% less than in Houghton, MI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Houghton, MI is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$13.78 $13.78

-21.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$39.55 $39.55

11.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$10.37 $10.37

13.40%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$4.13 $4.13

-10.90%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.78 $2.78

-51.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.62 $1.62

-49.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$5.94 $5.94

-48.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$7.38 $7.38

-33.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.00 $1.00

47.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$4.18 $4.18

-46.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$6.34 $6.34

-76.66%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$3.94 $3.94

-36.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$12.31 $12.31

-38.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$10.79 $10.79

-26.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$10.97 $10.97

14.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$5.09 $5.09

-45.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.18 $1.18

21.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$4.25 $4.25

-38.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.77 $4.77

-55.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.80 $2.80

-27.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$3.01 $3.01

-33.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$2.21 $2.21

-48.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.47 $1.47

-18.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$10.18 $10.18

-58.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$14.99 $14.99

-33.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.95 $1.95

-21.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.28 $3.28

-18.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$2.03 $2.03

-73.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.02 $3.02

62.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.49 $1.49

130.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$29.22 $29.22

-81.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.81 $0.81

79.01%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$25.1K $25.1K

-15.81%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$25.4K $25.4K

-9.30%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$280 $280

-69.55%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$57.6 $57.6

-59.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$69.1 $69.1

-58.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$36.96 $36.96

68.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$14.18 $14.18

-64.03%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$1,249 $1,249

-83.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$22.9K $22.9K

-82.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$53.7 $53.7

-17.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$41.58 $41.58

-0.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$87.0 $87.0

-16.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$108 $108

-17.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,833 $1,833

-46.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$1,484 $1,484

-74.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$2,318 $2,318

-27.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,967 $1,967

-44.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,546 $1,546

155.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,550 $1,550

295.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$2,603 $2,603

-71.67%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Houghton, MI: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Houghton, MI

$1.5K 54.2% 298% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Houghton, MI

$377 13.8% 46% $119

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Houghton, MI

$253 9.3% 26.4% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Houghton, MI

$407 14.9% 197% $270

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Houghton, MI

$131 4.8% 17.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Houghton, MI

$65 2.4% 9.8% $7.1

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Houghton, MI

$19 * 0.7% 64.1% $33

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 $979 in Playa del Carmen and $1,833 in Houghton, MI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houghton, MI pays 253% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $40.00 in Houghton, MI. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $377, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Houghton, MI

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

11:08 11:08 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

8,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Houghton, MI 2,950 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Houghton, MI

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 Houghton, MI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 127% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 253% lower in Houghton, MI. 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,833 in Houghton, MI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Houghton, MI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,736 in Houghton, MI – a 127% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,736 in Houghton, MI, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Houghton, MI. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Houghton, MI, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Houghton, MI are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 127% less than in Houghton, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.