Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Houston, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,723 in Houston, MO, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 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
132

Cost of Living Index in Houston, MO
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Houston, MO Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Houston, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Houston, MO

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 Houston, MO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,723 in Houston, MO.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Houston, MO $2,723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,001 in Houston, MO.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Houston, MO $4,001

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,280 in Houston, MO.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Houston, MO $5,280

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Houston, MO is 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$17.75 $17.75

-38.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$76.2 $76.2

-43.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$11.85 $11.85

-0.59%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$5.19 $5.19

-26.59%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$2.32 $2.32

-44.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.70 $1.70

-54.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$5.68 $5.68

-44.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$6.87 $6.87

-28.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.24 $1.24

13.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$3.94 $3.94

-43.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$5.68 $5.68

-75.00%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$3.91 $3.91

-35.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$13.10 $13.10

-44.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$15.55 $15.55

-50.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$20.90 $20.90

-39.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$8.32 $8.32

-66.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$2.30 $2.30

-40.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$5.58 $5.58

-54.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$5.26 $5.26

-59.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$4.31 $4.31

-54.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$5.08 $5.08

-62.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$2.79 $2.79

-58.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$2.82 $2.82

-58.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$7.97 $7.97

-46.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$15.26 $15.26

-34.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$2.80 $2.80

-43.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$3.39 $3.39

-21.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.73 $1.73

-68.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$63.1 $63.1

-57.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.42 $3.42

45.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.58 $1.58

110.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$40.50 $40.50

-86.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.98 $0.98

46.94%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$28.4K $28.4K

-27.35%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$26.1K $26.1K

-9.97%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$243 $243

-65.04%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$68.3 $68.3

-65.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$75.7 $75.7

-62.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$36.13 $36.13

57.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$14.26 $14.26

-63.96%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$1,379 $1,379

-85.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$23.9K $23.9K

-83.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$58.7 $58.7

-26.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$39.41 $39.41

5.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$87.5 $87.5

-15.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$118 $118

-24.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$1,375 $1,375

-28.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$1,262 $1,262

-69.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$2,531 $2,531

-32.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$2,108 $2,108

-48.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,479 $2,479

59.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$2,695 $2,695

128.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.72

70.39%

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 Houston, MO: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Houston, MO

$1.3K 46.4% 232% $881

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Houston, MO

$493 18.1% 93.6% $239

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Houston, MO

$298 11% 47.3% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Houston, MO

$386 14.2% 182% $250

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Houston, MO

$136 5% 22.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Houston, MO

$65 2.4% 4% $2.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Houston, MO

$81 3% 61.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,375 in Houston, MO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $76 in Houston, MO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $493 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Houston, MO

🕒 Local time

11:07 11:07 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,304,580

💱 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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Playa del Carmen Houston, MO 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
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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 Houston, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 126% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $4,084 in Houston, MO 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,375 in Houston, MO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 58% less than in Houston, MO. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,379 in Houston, MO. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,723 in Houston, MO, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Houston, MO. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Houston, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.