Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Queen Creek, AZ

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,298 in Queen Creek, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
161

Cost of Living Index in Queen Creek, AZ
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Queen Creek, AZ Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Queen Creek, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Queen Creek, AZ

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 Queen Creek, AZ actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,298 in Queen Creek, AZ, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Queen Creek, AZ $3,298

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,978 in Queen Creek, AZ, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Queen Creek, AZ $4,978

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $6,658 in Queen Creek, AZ, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Queen Creek, AZ $6,658

Playa del Carmen is about 63% cheaper than Queen Creek, AZ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Queen Creek, AZ is 143% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$19.47 $19.47

-44.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$81.4 $81.4

-45.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$12.74 $12.74

-7.69%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$5.14 $5.14

-28.40%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.66 $2.66

-49.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$2.13 $2.13

-61.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$6.86 $6.86

-55.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$7.54 $7.54

-34.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.69 $0.69

113.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.45 $2.45

-9.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$2.10 $2.10

-29.52%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$3.57 $3.57

-30.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$13.28 $13.28

-43.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$8.68 $8.68

-8.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$17.36 $17.36

-27.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$4.62 $4.62

-39.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.78 $1.78

-19.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.52 $2.52

3.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.81 $2.81

-23.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.07 $2.07

-2.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.09 $2.09

-4.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.30 $1.30

-12.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$2.09 $2.09

-42.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$10.84 $10.84

-60.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$9.33 $9.33

7.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.45 $2.45

-37.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.59 $3.59

-25.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.82 $2.82

73.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.39 $1.39

146.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$36.30 $36.30

-85.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.08 $1.08

34.26%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$32.9K $32.9K

-35.73%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$26.1K $26.1K

-11.86%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$201 $201

-57.61%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$61.9 $61.9

-62.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$75.2 $75.2

-62.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$24.90 $24.90

149.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$15.15 $15.15

89.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$13.04 $13.04

-60.89%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$597 $597

-66.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$15.8K $15.8K

-74.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$49.08 $49.08

-9.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$19.72 $19.72

109.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$96.4 $96.4

-24.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$113 $113

-20.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$2,791 $2,791

-64.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$2,123 $2,123

-82.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$5,004 $5,004

-66.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$4,031 $4,031

-72.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$6,028 $6,028

-87.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.44

77.80%

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 Queen Creek, AZ: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Queen Creek, AZ

$2.1K 64.4% 470% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Queen Creek, AZ

$326 9.9% 26.2% $68

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Queen Creek, AZ

$324 9.8% 61.9% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Queen Creek, AZ

$338 10.3% 147% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Queen Creek, AZ

$125 3.8% 12.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Queen Creek, AZ

$51 1.6% 29.6% $21

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Queen Creek, AZ

$9.8 * 0.3% 81.1% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,791 in Queen Creek, AZ. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 717% higher in Queen Creek, AZ, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $81.0 in Queen Creek, AZ. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $326 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Queen Creek, AZ

🕒 Local time

23:42 11:42 PM

21:42 9:42 PM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

59,519

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Queen Creek, AZ 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Queen Creek, AZ

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 Queen Creek, AZ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Queen Creek, AZ is pricier by about 174%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,947 in Queen Creek, AZ. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $3,298 in Queen Creek, AZ. That's a gap of about 174%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $597 in Queen Creek, AZ. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Queen Creek, AZ at $3,298. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Queen Creek, AZ it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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