Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Los Ángeles

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Ángeles: $925 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Los Ángeles
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Los Ángeles Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Los Ángeles

🇨🇱 Chile

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Los Ángeles

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 Los Ángeles actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $925 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Los Ángeles $925

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,378 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Los Ángeles $1,378

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,831 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Los Ángeles $1,831

Playa del Carmen costs about 31% more than Los Ángeles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Los Ángeles are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Los Ángeles 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$12.46 CLP 12.3K

-13.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$794

$25.23 CLP 24.8K

70.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$10.17 CLP 10.0K

15.93%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.03 CLP 1,996

90.64%

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

$1.37 MX$25.26

$1.50 CLP 1,474

-8.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.43

$1.57 CLP 1,542

-46.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.2

$2.47 CLP 2,437

25.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.5

$3.04 CLP 2,998

66.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.52

$1.21 CLP 1,189

19.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.19

$2.80 CLP 2,756

-20.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.14

$2.98 CLP 2,939

-50.67%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.66

$4.33 CLP 4,269

-41.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$8.05 CLP 7,928

-9.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$10.69 CLP 10.5K

-26.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$14.17 CLP 14.0K

-9.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.5

$2.63 CLP 2,587

10.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.50

$1.61 CLP 1,582

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.02

$2.71 CLP 2,673

-5.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.99

$2.28 CLP 2,248

-9.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.51 CLP 1,483

32.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.03

$1.59 CLP 1,570

26.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$21.99

$1.44 CLP 1,416

-17.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.20

$1.10 CLP 1,083

14.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.3

$5.67 CLP 5,586

-22.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$4.27 CLP 4,203

124.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.38

$0.99 CLP 978

60.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.46

$0.50 CLP 488

14.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.0

$2.06 CLP 2,032

141.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.05

$1.26 CLP 1,245

16.67%

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

$21.0K MX$387.4K

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

$23.9K MX$441.3K

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

$84.2 MX$1,554

$123 CLP 120.9K

-31.37%

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

$23.99 MX$443

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$20.82 CLP 20.5K

39.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,163

$80.7 CLP 79.5K

-21.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$538

$10.27 CLP 10.1K

183.74%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.2

$4.42 CLP 4,355

11.76%

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

$204 MX$3,759

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$805

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$796

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,399

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,635

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$274 CLP 269.6K

268.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,904

$228 CLP 224.2K

64.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.5K

$442 CLP 435.3K

286.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$337 CLP 331.6K

228.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$113.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Los Ángeles: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Los Ángeles

$228 24.6% 39.1% $146

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Los Ángeles

$275 * 29.7% 6.3% $16

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Los Ángeles

$185 20% 8.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Los Ángeles

$144 * 15.5% 4.6% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Los Ángeles

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Los Ángeles

$90 9.7% 22.9% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Los Ángeles

$4 * 0.4% 92.3% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $274 in Los Ángeles. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $25.00 in Los Ángeles. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $275 in Los Ángeles – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇱 Los Ángeles

🕒 Local time

01:39 1:39 AM

03:39 3:39 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

143,023

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.42 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.15 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 18.46 MXN (100 MXN = 5.42 USD). 1 EUR = 20.67 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 985 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,103 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.07 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Los Ángeles 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Los Ángeles

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 Los Ángeles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 31% more than Los Ángeles, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,387 in Los Ángeles. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Los Ángeles, 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 $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $925 in Los Ángeles. That's a gap of about 31%.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Los Ángeles, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Los Ángeles it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Los Ángeles costs $925 versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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