Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mission Viejo, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,891 in Mission Viejo, CA, rent and utilities included – about $32,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
187

Cost of Living Index in Mission Viejo, CA
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Mission Viejo, CA Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Mission Viejo, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Mission Viejo, CA

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 Mission Viejo, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,891 in Mission Viejo, CA.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Mission Viejo, CA $3,891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,820 in Mission Viejo, CA.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Mission Viejo, CA $4,820

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,749 in Mission Viejo, CA.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Mission Viejo, CA $5,749

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 69% less than in Mission Viejo, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Mission Viejo, CA is 188% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$21.92 $21.92

-51.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$74.3 $74.3

-41.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$9.85 $9.85

19.70%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$5.49 $5.49

-30.97%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.96 $1.96

-33.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.52 $1.52

-45.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$4.96 $4.96

-36.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$5.84 $5.84

-15.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.04 $1.04

35.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.95 $3.95

-44.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.97 $1.97

-25.38%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$4.57 $4.57

-45.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$14.19 $14.19

-48.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$13.46 $13.46

-40.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$12.25 $12.25

4.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$4.86 $4.86

-40.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.48 $1.48

-6.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$2.76 $2.76

-9.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$4.96 $4.96

-59.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$2.24 $2.24

-9.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$4.36 $4.36

-56.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$2.01 $2.01

-43.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$2.30 $2.30

-46.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$11.82 $11.82

-63.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$13.25 $13.25

-25.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.59 $1.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.75 $2.75

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.95 $1.95

-73.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$3.95 $3.95

20.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$7.25 $7.25

-55.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$23.85 $23.85

-77.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.46 $1.46

4.79%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$30.5K $30.5K

-30.43%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$26.4K $26.4K

-11.85%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$118 $118

-29.48%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$80.2 $80.2

-71.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$65.1 $65.1

-57.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$39.76 $39.76

41.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$12.10 $12.10

-58.68%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$542 $542

-61.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$11.0K $11.0K

-52.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$31.11 $31.11

39.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$34.31 $34.31

23.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$73.1 $73.1

-0.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$140 $140

-37.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$2,601 $2,601

-61.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$2,686 $2,686

-85.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$3,735 $3,735

-55.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$2,982 $2,982

-63.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$7,532 $7,532

-48.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$5,392 $5,392

13.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$5,852 $5,852

-85.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.68

71.41%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mission Viejo, CA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Mission Viejo, CA

$2.7K 69% 602% $2.3K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Mission Viejo, CA

$383 9.8% 48.7% $125

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Mission Viejo, CA

$321 8.3% 60.3% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Mission Viejo, CA

$264 6.8% 96.4% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Mission Viejo, CA

$126 3.2% 12.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Mission Viejo, CA

$64 1.6% 3.7% $2.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Mission Viejo, CA

$48 * 1.2% 4.9% $2.5

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 $995 in Playa del Carmen and $2,601 in Mission Viejo, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mission Viejo, CA pays about 7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $74 in Mission Viejo, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $383 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Mission Viejo, CA

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

13:23 1:23 PM

3 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

97,156

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mission Viejo, CA 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mission Viejo, CA

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 Mission Viejo, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $3,891 in Mission Viejo, CA, so Playa del Carmen is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 86% lower in Playa del Carmen. 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,601 in Mission Viejo, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $542 in Mission Viejo, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $74 in Mission Viejo, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,891 in Mission Viejo, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Mission Viejo, CA. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Mission Viejo, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.