Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nampa, ID

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,288 in Nampa, ID, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Nampa, ID, United States
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Nampa, ID
🇺🇸 United States
$2,288
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Nampa, ID

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 Nampa, ID actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,288 in Nampa, ID.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Nampa, ID $2,288

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,186 in Nampa, ID.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Nampa, ID $3,186

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,084 in Nampa, ID.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Nampa, ID $4,084

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 47% less than in Nampa, ID, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Nampa, ID is 69% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Nampa, ID
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$203
$15.27 $15.27
-28.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$827
$69.6 $69.6
-36.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$220
$12.53 $12.53
-6.15%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.9
$5.63 $5.63
-34.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$25.11
$2.86 $2.86
-53.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.44
$2.03 $2.03
-59.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$57.3
$5.41 $5.41
-43.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$92.4
$6.48 $6.48
-23.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Nampa, ID
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.52
$0.98 $0.98
50.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.47
$2.70 $2.70
-17.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.67
$4.32 $4.32
-65.74%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$46.59
$4.38 $4.38
-43.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$141
$14.30 $14.30
-47.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$149
$7.97 $7.97
-0.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$235
$14.76 $14.76
-14.84%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.0
$4.88 $4.88
-43.03%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.71
$1.15 $1.15
24.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.99
$3.89 $3.89
-32.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.99
$4.81 $4.81
-55.51%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.86
$2.75 $2.75
-26.55%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$37.21
$2.63 $2.63
-24.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.28
$2.27 $2.27
-49.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.46
$2.41 $2.41
-50.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$79.7
$8.67 $8.67
-50.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$187
$7.12 $7.12
40.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.77
$2.05 $2.05
-24.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.80
$1.49 $1.49
78.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Nampa, ID
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.85
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$515
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$91.8
$2.68 $2.68
82.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$64.3
$1.54 $1.54
122.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$101
$24.43 $24.43
-77.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$27.10
$0.89 $0.89
62.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$396.0K
$33.3K $33.3K
-36.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$430.8K
$26.0K $26.0K
-11.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Nampa, ID
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,598
$165 $165
-48.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$439
$56.1 $56.1
-58.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$532
$76.7 $76.7
-62.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Nampa, ID
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,164
$35.33 $35.33
76.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$537
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$95.5
$10.51 $10.51
-51.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Nampa, ID
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,763
$969 $969
-79.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$73.9K
$23.7K $23.7K
-83.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Nampa, ID
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$831
$53.3 $53.3
-16.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$774
$41.33 $41.33
0.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,362
$77.0 $77.0
-5.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,677
$72.8 $72.8
23.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Nampa, ID
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.3K
$1,242 $1,242
-21.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,976
$1,177 $1,177
-68.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.5K
$1,742 $1,742
-3.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.5K
$1,627 $1,627
-32.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$114.9K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Nampa, ID
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 MX$13.8K
$3,743 $3,743
-80.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
6.62
72.96%

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 Nampa, ID: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Nampa, ID
$1.2K 216% $805
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Nampa, ID
$348 34.9% $90
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Nampa, ID
$287 43.4% $87
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Nampa, ID
$298 117% $161
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Nampa, ID
$110 1.5% $1.7
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Nampa, ID
$56 22.2% $16
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Nampa, ID
$10 * 79.9% $41

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 $979 in Playa del Carmen and $1,242 in Nampa, ID. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nampa, ID pays about 5.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $70 in Nampa, ID for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $348 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇺🇸 Nampa, ID
🕒 Local time
21:40 9:40 PM
20:40 8:40 PM
1 h behind Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
101,410
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Nampa, ID 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Nampa, ID

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 Nampa, ID: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Playa del Carmen and in Nampa, ID?
Playa del Carmen and Nampa, ID differ by about 90% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $2,288 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 80% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Nampa, ID?
Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,242 in Nampa, ID. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Nampa, ID. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Playa del Carmen or Nampa, ID?
All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,288 in Nampa, ID – a 90% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,288 in Nampa, ID, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Nampa, ID. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Playa del Carmen and Nampa, ID?
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.
How do I decide between Playa del Carmen and Nampa, ID?
It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Nampa, ID on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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