Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Wallingford, CT

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,247 in Wallingford, CT, rent and utilities included – about $540 less a year. The total is higher in Wallingford, CT despite lower rent and utilities.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Wallingford, CT
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Wallingford, CT Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Wallingford, CT

🇺🇸 United States

$1,247

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Wallingford, CT

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 Wallingford, CT actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,247 in Wallingford, CT, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Wallingford, CT $1,247

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,001 in Wallingford, CT, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Wallingford, CT $2,001

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,756 in Wallingford, CT, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Wallingford, CT $2,756

Playa del Carmen is about 4% cheaper than Wallingford, CT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Wallingford, CT are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Wallingford, CT 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$19.74 $19.74

-45.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$813

$74.2 $74.2

-40.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$12.91 $12.91

-8.68%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.3

$5.25 $5.25

-27.81%

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

$1.30 MX$24.07

$2.91 $2.91

-55.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.47

$2.51 $2.51

-66.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.4

$6.17 $6.17

-48.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

$8.41 $8.41

-41.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.14

$1.04 $1.04

35.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.75

$4.45 $4.45

-50.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.33

$7.55 $7.55

-80.53%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.34

$6.08 $6.08

-58.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$135

$10.48 $10.48

-30.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$10.85 $10.85

-26.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$19.26 $19.26

-33.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.8

$5.66 $5.66

-48.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.67

$2.20 $2.20

-37.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.23

$3.40 $3.40

-26.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.67

$3.03 $3.03

-33.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.58

$2.24 $2.24

-9.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.32

$2.46 $2.46

-22.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.24

$2.75 $2.75

-58.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.99

$2.57 $2.57

-51.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

$13.55 $13.55

-68.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$182

$16.92 $16.92

-42.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.43

$1.83 $1.83

-13.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.0

$2.75 $2.75

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

$2.98 $2.98

59.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

$2.21 $2.21

47.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$42.30 $42.30

-87.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.36

$1.17 $1.17

30.77%

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

$21.2K MX$393.7K

$28.3K $28.3K

-24.95%

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

$23.3K MX$431.7K

$26.7K $26.7K

-12.80%

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

$83.5 MX$1,549

$198 $198

-57.75%

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

$23.19 MX$430

$36.59 $36.59

-36.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$512

$61.6 $61.6

-55.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,047

$25.14 $25.14

124.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$523

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.8

$12.59 $12.59

-60.29%

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

$207 MX$3,843

$2,143 $2,143

-90.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.1K

$33.8K $33.8K

-84.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$806

$39.00 $39.00

11.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$789

$16.20 $16.20

162.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,350

$99.7 $99.7

-27.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,640

$140 $140

-36.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$1,602 $1,602

-37.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,097

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$113.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.4K

$4,655 $4,655

-82.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.51

75.88%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Wallingford, CT: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Wallingford, CT

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Wallingford, CT

$425 34.1% 65.2% $168

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Wallingford, CT

$329 26.4% 64.3% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Wallingford, CT

$296 23.7% 120% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Wallingford, CT

$133 10.6% 19.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Wallingford, CT

$50 4% 24.3% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Wallingford, CT

$14 * 1.1% 72.2% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,602 in Wallingford, CT. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Wallingford, CT are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $74 in Wallingford, CT. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $425 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Wallingford, CT

🕒 Local time

16:08 4:08 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

44,740

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Wallingford, CT 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Wallingford, CT

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 Wallingford, CT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Wallingford, CT is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,870 in Wallingford, CT. 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 $995 there versus $1,602 in Wallingford, CT.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,247 in Wallingford, CT. That makes Playa del Carmen about 4% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,143 in Wallingford, CT. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,247 in Wallingford, CT, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Wallingford, CT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.