Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Newport News, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,203 a month against $2,519 in Newport News, VA, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Newport News, VA
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Newport News, VA Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,203

/mo nomad

Newport News, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Newport News, 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 Newport News, VA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,519 in Newport News, VA.

Playa del Carmen $1,203
Newport News, VA $2,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,084 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,658 in Newport News, VA.

Playa del Carmen $2,084
Newport News, VA $3,658

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,965 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,796 in Newport News, VA.

Playa del Carmen $2,965
Newport News, VA $4,796

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 52% less than in Newport News, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Newport News, VA is 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.72 MX$198

$24.59 $24.59

-56.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.71 MX$790

$61.8 $61.8

-30.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 MX$219

$10.68 $10.68

11.05%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.3

$6.34 $6.34

-40.06%

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

$1.29 MX$23.80

$2.74 $2.74

-52.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.23

$2.04 $2.04

-59.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 MX$56.8

$8.21 $8.21

-62.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 MX$92.2

$7.90 $7.90

-36.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.53

$0.95 $0.95

56.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 MX$41.85

$3.54 $3.54

-36.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 MX$25.83

$3.50 $3.50

-60.00%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$45.72

$2.92 $2.92

-15.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.25 MX$134

$7.50 $7.50

-3.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.09 MX$150

$11.22 $11.22

-27.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.87 MX$238

$18.64 $18.64

-30.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 MX$53.5

$7.35 $7.35

-60.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.03 $1.03

39.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 MX$48.27

$4.93 $4.93

-47.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 MX$39.41

$4.13 $4.13

-48.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.80

$2.68 $2.68

-25.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.03

$3.25 $3.25

-41.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.35

$2.08 $2.08

-44.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 MX$22.84

$2.66 $2.66

-53.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MX$82.3

$8.55 $8.55

-47.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 MX$178

$15.87 $15.87

-39.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 MX$29.60

$1.71 $1.71

-6.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 MX$49.63

$5.73 $5.73

-53.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.46

$2.01 $2.01

-71.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.54 MX$491

$55.9 $55.9

-52.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 MX$88.6

$3.77 $3.77

27.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.29 MX$60.9

$1.27 $1.27

159.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$99.7

$24.84 $24.84

-78.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.08

$0.95 $0.95

53.68%

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

$21.1K MX$390.0K

$27.2K $27.2K

-22.36%

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

$23.4K MX$433.5K

$25.8K $25.8K

-9.13%

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

$83.9 MX$1,552

$208 $208

-59.72%

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

$23.11 MX$428

$79.1 $79.1

-70.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.32 MX$524

$78.1 $78.1

-63.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 MX$975

$49.04 $49.04

7.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.94 MX$572

$8.10 $8.10

281.98%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$91.8

$13.59 $13.59

-63.50%

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

$203 MX$3,761

$2,895 $2,895

-92.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,245 MX$97.0K

$16.9K $16.9K

-68.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.12 MX$816

$55.9 $55.9

-21.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.37 MX$765

$43.85 $43.85

-5.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 MX$1,366

$104 $104

-28.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 MX$1,665

$126 $126

-28.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$988 MX$18.3K

$1,371 $1,371

-27.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,074

$1,079 $1,079

-64.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 MX$30.8K

$1,863 $1,863

-10.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 MX$20.1K

$1,723 $1,723

-37.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$72.9K

$2,439 $2,439

61.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,102 MX$112.9K

$2,032 $2,032

200.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$907 MX$16.8K

$4,035 $4,035

-77.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.54

75.08%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 8, 2026

Last update for Newport News, VA: November 8, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Newport News, VA

$1.1K 42.9% 182% $697

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.6%

Newport News, VA

$395 15.7% 52% $135

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$201 16.7%

Newport News, VA

$381 15.1% 89.7% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$135 11.3%

Newport News, VA

$366 14.5% 170% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Newport News, VA

$148 5.9% 32.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$63 5.2%

Newport News, VA

$76 3% 21.7% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Newport News, VA

$74 2.9% 48% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $988 in Playa del Carmen and $1,371 in Newport News, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Newport News, VA pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $62 in Newport News, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $395 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Newport News, VA

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

186,247

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.5 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.76 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Newport News, VA 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
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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 Newport News, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,203 in Playa del Carmen and $2,519 in Newport News, VA, so Playa del Carmen is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 78% 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: $988 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,371 in Newport News, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,203 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,519 in Newport News, VA – Playa del Carmen is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 53% less than in Newport News, VA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,203 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,519 in Newport News, VA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Newport News, VA. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Newport News, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.