Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Montross, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,772 in Montross, VA, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in Montross, VA
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Montross, VA Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Montross, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Montross, VA

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 Montross, VA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,772 in Montross, VA.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Montross, VA $2,772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,105 in Montross, VA.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Montross, VA $4,105

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,438 in Montross, VA.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Montross, VA $5,438

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 56% less than in Montross, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 9% below, Montross, VA is 107% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$202

$23.94 $23.94

-54.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$825

$98.4 $98.4

-54.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$11.06 $11.06

7.78%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.0

$5.71 $5.71

-33.45%

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

$1.31 MX$24.12

$3.00 $3.00

-56.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.75

$2.43 $2.43

-64.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.1

$7.84 $7.84

-59.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.2

$8.89 $8.89

-43.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.81

$1.21 $1.21

20.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.79

$4.50 $4.50

-48.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.52

$5.41 $5.41

-73.38%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.26

$5.09 $5.09

-51.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$142

$21.35 $21.35

-63.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$15.85 $15.85

-50.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$22.46 $22.46

-43.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$5.76 $5.76

-49.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.15

$1.90 $1.90

-25.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.17

$4.67 $4.67

-44.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.30

$5.74 $5.74

-62.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.80

$3.14 $3.14

-37.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.60

$3.80 $3.80

-48.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.16

$2.30 $2.30

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.45

$2.56 $2.56

-52.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.5

$10.67 $10.67

-58.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$17.31 $17.31

-43.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$2.78 $2.78

-44.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.93

$2.84 $2.84

-4.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.65

$2.28 $2.28

-77.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$504

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.4

$3.89 $3.89

26.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.8

$1.23 $1.23

186.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$105

$25.32 $25.32

-77.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.32

$1.06 $1.06

45.28%

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

$21.2K MX$390.5K

$34.5K $34.5K

-38.44%

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

$24.5K MX$450.3K

$24.9K $24.9K

-1.49%

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

$83.6 MX$1,537

$164 $164

-48.89%

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

$24.03 MX$442

$50.7 $50.7

-52.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$61.4 $61.4

-52.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,193

$39.97 $39.97

62.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.5

$16.41 $16.41

-68.98%

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

$208 MX$3,819

$1,618 $1,618

-87.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.4K

$36.6K $36.6K

-88.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$819

$54.7 $54.7

-18.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$773

$63.5 $63.5

-33.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,389

$100 $100

-24.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,680

$161 $161

-43.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$1,722 $1,722

-42.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,083

$1,265 $1,265

-69.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$2,690 $2,690

-36.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$2,203 $2,203

-49.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.8K

$2,765 $2,765

45.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.9K

$2,076 $2,076

200.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.79

68.63%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montross, VA: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Montross, VA

$1.3K 47.1% 229% $880

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Montross, VA

$509 19% 95.4% $248

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Montross, VA

$372 13.9% 82.4% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Montross, VA

$276 10.3% 101% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Montross, VA

$171 6.4% 49.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Montross, VA

$73 2.7% 3% $2.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Montross, VA

$19 * 0.7% 63.2% $33

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 $986 in Playa del Carmen and $1,722 in Montross, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $98.0 in Montross, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $509 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Montross, VA

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

11:49 11:49 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

400

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.85 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 11, 2026: 1 USD = 18.39 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.61 MXN (100 MXN = 4.85 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Montross, VA 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Montross, VA

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 Montross, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 128% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,823 in Playa del Carmen and $4,157 in Montross, VA to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,722 in Montross, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $208 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,618 in Montross, VA. 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 $45.00 versus $98.0 in Montross, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,772 in Montross, VA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Montross, VA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montross, VA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 128% less than in Montross, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.