Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,107 in Independence, MO, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Independence, MO
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Independence, MO Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Independence, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Independence, 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 Independence, MO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,107 in Independence, MO.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Independence, MO $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,070 in Independence, MO.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Independence, MO $3,070

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,033 in Independence, MO.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Independence, MO $4,033

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 43% less than in Independence, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Independence, MO is 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$20.09 $20.09

-45.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$77.2 $77.2

-42.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$12.67 $12.67

-7.18%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$5.15 $5.15

-28.54%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.73 $2.73

-50.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.96 $1.96

-58.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$7.03 $7.03

-56.47%

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

$1.10 $1.10

33.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$3.17 $3.17

-29.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$4.40 $4.40

-66.36%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$4.27 $4.27

-41.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$11.44 $11.44

-34.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$9.61 $9.61

-17.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$13.69 $13.69

-8.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$4.51 $4.51

-38.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.56 $1.56

-8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$4.41 $4.41

-40.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.18 $4.18

-48.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$3.12 $3.12

-35.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.84 $2.84

-29.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.93 $1.93

-40.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$2.11 $2.11

-43.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$7.96 $7.96

-46.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$14.83 $14.83

-32.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.81 $1.81

-14.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.97 $3.97

-33.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.49 $2.49

96.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.26 $1.26

172.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$25.39 $25.39

-78.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.98 $0.98

47.96%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$32.2K $32.2K

-34.24%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$25.7K $25.7K

-10.60%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$252 $252

-66.07%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$64.3 $64.3

-63.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$72.0 $72.0

-60.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$14.87 $14.87

-65.70%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$962 $962

-79.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$19.4K $19.4K

-79.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$58.8 $58.8

-24.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$39.72 $39.72

4.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$95.2 $95.2

-23.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$123 $123

-27.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,004 $1,004

-2.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$843 $843

-55.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$2,045 $2,045

-17.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,303 $1,303

-15.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,495 $1,495

164.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$3,516 $3,516

-79.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.56

74.54%

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 Independence, MO: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Independence, MO

$843 40% 126% $471

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Independence, MO

$366 17.4% 41.6% $108

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Independence, MO

$329 15.6% 64.4% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Independence, MO

$388 18.4% 183% $251

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Independence, MO

$143 6.8% 27.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Independence, MO

$30 * 1.4% 58.9% $43

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Independence, MO

$8.8 * 0.4% 83.1% $43

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 $1,004 in Independence, MO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Independence, MO pays 377% 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 $77.0 in Independence, MO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $366 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Independence, MO

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

117,213

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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 Independence, MO 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Independence, MO

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 Independence, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Independence, MO differ by about 75% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $2,107 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 377% lower in Independence, MO. 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 $1,004 in Independence, MO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Independence, MO. 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 $2,107 in Independence, MO – a 75% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,107 in Independence, MO, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Independence, 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.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Independence, MO 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 75% less than in Independence, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.