Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Las Cruces, NM

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,078 in Las Cruces, NM, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Las Cruces, NM
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Las Cruces, NM Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Las Cruces, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,078

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Las Cruces, NM

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 Las Cruces, NM actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,078 in Las Cruces, NM, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Las Cruces, NM $2,078

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,034 in Las Cruces, NM, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Las Cruces, NM $3,034

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,991 in Las Cruces, NM, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Las Cruces, NM $3,991

Playa del Carmen is about 42% cheaper than Las Cruces, NM, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Las Cruces, NM is 53% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$17.17 $17.17

-36.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$44.89 $44.89

-3.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$11.92 $11.92

-1.17%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$5.78 $5.78

-34.08%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$2.38 $2.38

-46.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$2.15 $2.15

-63.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$6.49 $6.49

-51.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$9.13 $9.13

-46.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$0.84 $0.84

67.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$3.48 $3.48

-36.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$3.57 $3.57

-60.22%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$4.63 $4.63

-45.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$13.25 $13.25

-45.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$12.14 $12.14

-36.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$17.48 $17.48

-27.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$4.23 $4.23

-34.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.04 $2.04

-32.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$3.46 $3.46

-26.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$3.93 $3.93

-46.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.23 $2.23

-13.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.37 $2.37

-20.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.81 $1.81

-36.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.91 $1.91

-38.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$10.79 $10.79

-60.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$15.29 $15.29

-34.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.44 $2.44

-35.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.51 $3.51

-23.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.36 $2.36

110.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$2.39 $2.39

39.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.97 $0.97

48.45%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$27.6K $27.6K

-25.17%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$24.7K $24.7K

-4.86%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$174 $174

-51.24%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$58.3 $58.3

-59.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$89.7 $89.7

-68.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$43.53 $43.53

31.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$10.77 $10.77

168.43%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$10.05 $10.05

-48.86%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$672 $672

-69.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$59.9 $59.9

-27.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$31.94 $31.94

29.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$83.6 $83.6

-11.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$103 $103

-13.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$883 $883

10.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$854 $854

-55.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,562 $1,562

9.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,431 $1,431

-24.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$2,260 $2,260

74.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$1,875 $1,875

228.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$3,507 $3,507

-79.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.36

80.03%

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 Las Cruces, NM: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Las Cruces, NM

$854 41.1% 124% $473

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Las Cruces, NM

$387 18.6% 52% $132

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Las Cruces, NM

$311 15% 53.8% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Las Cruces, NM

$322 15.5% 135% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Las Cruces, NM

$125 6% 12.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Las Cruces, NM

$64 3.1% 5.5% $3.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Las Cruces, NM

$14 * 0.7% 71.7% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $883 in Las Cruces, NM. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Las Cruces, NM are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $45 in Las Cruces, NM. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $387 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Las Cruces, NM

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

00:34 12:34 AM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

111,385

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Las Cruces, NM 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Las Cruces, NM

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 Las Cruces, NM: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Cruces, NM costs about 73% 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 $3,117 in Las Cruces, NM. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Las Cruces, NM, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $883 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $45 in Las Cruces, NM. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Las Cruces, NM, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Las Cruces, NM at $2,078. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Las Cruces, NM it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,078 in Las Cruces, NM. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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