Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Saint Charles, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,758 in Saint Charles, IL, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Saint Charles, IL
Learn more

Saint Charles, IL Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Saint Charles, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Saint Charles, IL

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 Saint Charles, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,758 in Saint Charles, IL, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Saint Charles, IL $2,758

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,119 in Saint Charles, IL, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Saint Charles, IL $4,119

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,480 in Saint Charles, IL, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Saint Charles, IL $5,480

Playa del Carmen is about 56% cheaper than Saint Charles, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Saint Charles, IL is 103% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$38.06 $38.06

-71.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$98.5 $98.5

-55.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$10.46 $10.46

12.62%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$6.85 $6.85

-44.38%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$3.41 $3.41

-62.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$2.93 $2.93

-73.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$6.96 $6.96

-54.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$7.31 $7.31

-32.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.00 $1.00

41.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$3.56 $3.56

-37.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$4.38 $4.38

-67.58%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$4.40 $4.40

-42.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$12.26 $12.26

-40.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$11.70 $11.70

-34.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$13.13 $13.13

-3.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$4.95 $4.95

-43.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.03 $1.03

33.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$4.22 $4.22

-39.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$4.77 $4.77

-55.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$2.77 $2.77

-29.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.93 $2.93

-35.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.59 $1.59

-27.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$2.24 $2.24

-47.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$10.00 $10.00

-57.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$14.78 $14.78

-32.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$2.01 $2.01

-21.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$3.45 $3.45

-22.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$2.03 $2.03

-72.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$56.5 $56.5

-52.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.12 $3.12

59.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.75 $1.75

90.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$30.35 $30.35

-82.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.02 $1.02

41.18%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$28.4K $28.4K

-27.17%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$26.1K $26.1K

-10.26%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$200 $200

-57.67%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$57.2 $57.2

-59.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$68.8 $68.8

-58.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$42.10 $42.10

35.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$13.95 $13.95

-63.15%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$1,396 $1,396

-85.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$23.4K $23.4K

-83.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$52.2 $52.2

-17.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$41.94 $41.94

-1.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$89.9 $89.9

-17.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$117 $117

-23.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$1,601 $1,601

-38.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$1,276 $1,276

-70.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$2,547 $2,547

-32.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$2,113 $2,113

-49.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,724 $2,724

44.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$2,361 $2,361

160.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.57

74.28%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Saint Charles, IL: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Saint Charles, IL

$1.3K 46.3% 235% $895

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Saint Charles, IL

$381 13.8% 49.6% $126

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Saint Charles, IL

$493 17.9% 144% $290

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Saint Charles, IL

$326 11.8% 139% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Saint Charles, IL

$135 4.9% 21.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Saint Charles, IL

$70 2.5% 4% $2.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Saint Charles, IL

$76 2.8% 51.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,601 in Saint Charles, IL. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $98 in Saint Charles, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $381 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Saint Charles, IL

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

70,329

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Saint Charles, IL 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Saint Charles, IL

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 Saint Charles, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint Charles, IL is pricier by about 129%, 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 $4,137 in Saint Charles, IL. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,601 in Saint Charles, IL.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,758 in Saint Charles, IL. That makes Playa del Carmen about 56% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Saint Charles, IL at $2,758. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Charles, IL 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.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 56% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.