Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Killeen, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,106 in Killeen, TX, 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Killeen, TX
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Killeen, TX Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Killeen, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Killeen, TX

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 Killeen, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,106 in Killeen, TX.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Killeen, TX $2,106

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,276 in Killeen, TX.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Killeen, TX $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,447 in Killeen, TX.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Killeen, TX $4,447

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Killeen, TX is 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$20.34 $20.34

-46.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$65.3 $65.3

-32.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$11.77 $11.77

-0.08%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$5.43 $5.43

-32.23%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.92 $2.92

-54.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.87 $1.87

-56.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$5.06 $5.06

-39.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$5.78 $5.78

-14.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.04 $1.04

41.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.30 $2.30

-3.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$4.77 $4.77

-68.97%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$3.99 $3.99

-37.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$8.67 $8.67

-13.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$11.14 $11.14

-28.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$18.15 $18.15

-30.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$5.75 $5.75

-51.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$0.94 $0.94

52.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$5.04 $5.04

-48.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.13 $4.13

-48.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.40 $2.40

-15.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.87 $2.87

-30.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.92 $1.92

-40.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$2.85 $2.85

-57.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$6.03 $6.03

-29.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$11.73 $11.73

-14.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.08 $2.08

-25.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.83 $1.83

45.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$72.9 $72.9

-62.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.08 $3.08

59.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.79 $1.79

91.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$14.76 $14.76

-63.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.93 $0.93

55.91%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$35.8K $35.8K

-40.94%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$24.2K $24.2K

-4.69%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$191 $191

-55.24%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$58.0 $58.0

-59.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$66.6 $66.6

-57.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$23.01 $23.01

170.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$12.96 $12.96

-60.65%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$2,090 $2,090

-90.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$24.0K $24.0K

-83.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$38.16 $38.16

16.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$19.71 $19.71

109.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$63.4 $63.4

14.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$64.3 $64.3

39.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,010 $1,010

-2.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$882 $882

-57.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,553 $1,553

8.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,791 $1,791

-38.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,747 $1,747

126.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,758 $1,758

249.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$3,303 $3,303

-77.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.71

70.64%

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 Killeen, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Killeen, TX

$882 41.9% 137% $509

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Killeen, TX

$372 17.7% 44% $114

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Killeen, TX

$319 15.2% 59.5% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Killeen, TX

$315 15% 130% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Killeen, TX

$83 4% 25.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Killeen, TX

$49 2.3% 32.4% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Killeen, TX

$85 * 4% 64.2% $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 $1,010 in Killeen, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Killeen, TX pays 348% 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 $65.0 in Killeen, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $372 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Killeen, TX

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

153,095

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Killeen, TX 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Killeen, TX

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 Killeen, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Killeen, TX differ by about 75% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $2,106 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 348% lower in Killeen, TX. 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 $1,010 in Killeen, TX. 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 165% less than in Killeen, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,090 in Killeen, TX. 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 $2,106 in Killeen, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Killeen, TX. 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 75% less than in Killeen, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.