Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,261 in Lake Charles, LA, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Lake Charles, LA
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Lake Charles, LA Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Lake Charles, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,261

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Lake Charles, LA

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 Lake Charles, LA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,261 in Lake Charles, LA, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Lake Charles, LA $2,261

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,218 in Lake Charles, LA, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Lake Charles, LA $3,218

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,174 in Lake Charles, LA, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Lake Charles, LA $4,174

Playa del Carmen is about 47% cheaper than Lake Charles, LA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Lake Charles, LA is 67% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$26.37 $26.37

-58.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$70.0 $70.0

-36.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$10.80 $10.80

8.89%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$5.32 $5.32

-30.83%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.01 $2.01

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.22 $1.22

-32.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$5.14 $5.14

-40.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$5.98 $5.98

-17.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.40 $1.40

5.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$4.13 $4.13

-46.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$6.07 $6.07

-75.62%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$5.48 $5.48

-54.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$15.31 $15.31

-50.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$10.03 $10.03

-20.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$15.57 $15.57

-19.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$4.37 $4.37

-36.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.32 $1.32

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.00 $2.00

31.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$5.68 $5.68

-62.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$4.41 $4.41

-54.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.21 $2.21

-9.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$2.26 $2.26

-49.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$2.57 $2.57

-53.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$8.31 $8.31

-48.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$16.90 $16.90

-40.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.54 $2.54

-39.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.91 $3.91

-31.97%

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

$3.45 $3.45

42.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.52 $1.52

125.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$34.96 $34.96

-84.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.86 $0.86

68.60%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$33.2K $33.2K

-36.32%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$26.8K $26.8K

-14.21%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$263 $263

-67.55%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$71.4 $71.4

-67.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$57.0 $57.0

-50.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$32.38 $32.38

92.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$13.86 $13.86

106.93%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$11.89 $11.89

-57.11%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$1,542 $1,542

-86.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$10.3K $10.3K

-61.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$25.43 $25.43

74.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$43.92 $43.92

-5.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$59.5 $59.5

22.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$119 $119

-24.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,009 $1,009

-2.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$911 $911

-59.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,555 $1,555

8.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,271 $1,271

-13.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,370 $1,370

188.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,395 $1,395

340.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$3,514 $3,514

-79.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.66

71.92%

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 Lake Charles, LA: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Lake Charles, LA

$911 40.3% 144% $538

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Lake Charles, LA

$422 18.7% 63.4% $164

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Lake Charles, LA

$358 15.8% 78.7% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Lake Charles, LA

$391 17.3% 185% $254

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Lake Charles, LA

$112 4.9% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Lake Charles, LA

$56 2.5% 22.4% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Lake Charles, LA

$11 * 0.5% 78.6% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,009 in Lake Charles, LA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 376% higher in Lake Charles, LA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $70.0 in Lake Charles, LA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $422 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Lake Charles, LA

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

84,872

💱 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 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Lake Charles, LA 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Lake Charles, LA

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 Lake Charles, LA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lake Charles, LA costs about 88% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,392 in Lake Charles, LA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,261 in Lake Charles, LA. That's a gap of about 88%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,542 in Lake Charles, LA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Lake Charles, LA at $2,261. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lake Charles, LA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $2,261 in Lake Charles, LA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lake Charles, LA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.