Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lake Charles, LA Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lake Charles, LA

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 32.1% cheaper than Lake Charles, LA without rent, and 52.8% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 36.4% cheaper than Lake Charles, LA without rent, and 42.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Lake Charles, LA
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.73 MX$222
$26.26 $26.26
-55.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.52 MX$785
$90.8 $90.8
-54.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.57 MX$200
$10.13 $10.13
4.34%
Cappuccino
$3.49 MX$65.9
$4.48 $4.48
-22.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$27.33
$1.69 $1.69
-14.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.97 MX$18.33
$2.05 $2.05
-52.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$57.2
$6.06 $6.06
-50.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.59 MX$86.8
$8.22 $8.22
-44.16%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Lake Charles, LA
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.42 MX$26.87
$1.34 $1.34
5.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$35.43
$4.12 $4.12
-54.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$29.2
$6.17 $6.17
-75.04%
Eggs
$2.6 MX$49.21
$4.4 $4.4
-40.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.32 MX$157
$14.76 $14.76
-43.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$10.96 $10.96
-22.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.67 MX$202
$14.45 $14.45
-26.16%
Apples (1kg)
$2.66 MX$50.2
$4.42 $4.42
-39.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.5
$1.31 $1.31
15.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.9 MX$35.87
$1.93 $1.93
-1.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.45
$5.15 $5.15
-57.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 MX$33.7
$3.82 $3.82
-53.40%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 MX$41.05
$2.16 $2.16
0.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.14
$2.16 $2.16
-50.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.53
$2.95 $2.95
-63.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.17 MX$78.8
$8.57 $8.57
-51.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.75 MX$165
$17.27 $17.27
-49.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 MX$31.91
$2.08 $2.08
-18.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 MX$47.74
$3.53 $3.53
-28.33%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Lake Charles, LA
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.59
$2.02 $2.02
-74.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.97 MX$510
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.25 MX$61.4
$3.45 $3.45
-5.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.49 MX$47.01
$1.52 $1.52
63.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$60.8
$34.72 $34.72
-90.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$23.87
$0.83 $0.83
51.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K MX$564.1K
$35.6K $35.6K
-16.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K MX$442.5K
$29K $29K
-19.15%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Lake Charles, LA
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$236 $236
-64.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.8 MX$431
$58.1 $58.1
-60.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.04 MX$568
$59.4 $59.4
-49.40%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Lake Charles, LA
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$972
$42.48 $42.48
20.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 MX$346
$14.23 $14.23
28.46%
Cinema Ticket
$4.97 MX$94.1
$11.72 $11.72
-57.59%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Lake Charles, LA
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$197 MX$3,719
$1,544 $1,544
-87.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,254 MX$99.3K
$10.1K $10.1K
-47.83%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Lake Charles, LA
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.81 MX$677
$48.18 $48.18
-25.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.43 MX$745
$40.34 $40.34
-2.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.9 MX$1,529
$74.5 $74.5
8.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.3 MX$1,631
$101 $101
-14.79%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Lake Charles, LA
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$968 MX$18.3K
$1,634 $1,634
-40.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$478 MX$9,037
$1,349 $1,349
-64.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,631 MX$30.8K
$2,607 $2,607
-37.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 MX$22.6K
$2,211 $2,211
-45.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,137 MX$59.3K
$1,373 $1,373
128.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,586 MX$143.4K
$1,348 $1,348
462.73%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Lake Charles, LA
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$805 MX$15.2K
$3,633 $3,633
-77.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.57
73.82%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2025

Last update for Lake Charles, LA: November 4, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.