Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Waltham, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $4,237 in Waltham, MA, rent and utilities included – about $36,400 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
202

Cost of Living Index in Waltham, MA
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Waltham, MA Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Waltham, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Waltham, MA

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 Waltham, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,237 in Waltham, MA, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Waltham, MA $4,237

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $6,480 in Waltham, MA, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Waltham, MA $6,480

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $8,722 in Waltham, MA, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Waltham, MA $8,722

Playa del Carmen is about 72% cheaper than Waltham, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Waltham, MA is 213% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$25.50 $25.50

-58.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$93.8 $93.8

-53.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$12.20 $12.20

-3.36%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$5.32 $5.32

-28.76%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$2.85 $2.85

-54.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$2.34 $2.34

-64.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$5.11 $5.11

-38.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$7.79 $7.79

-36.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.08 $1.08

30.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$3.85 $3.85

-42.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$5.37 $5.37

-72.63%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$4.90 $4.90

-48.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$11.09 $11.09

-34.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$14.47 $14.47

-45.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$17.56 $17.56

-26.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$6.57 $6.57

-55.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$1.71 $1.71

-19.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$5.51 $5.51

-54.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$5.64 $5.64

-64.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$4.43 $4.43

-54.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$3.99 $3.99

-52.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$2.40 $2.40

-52.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$1.01 $1.01

22.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$13.35 $13.35

-68.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$13.86 $13.86

-29.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

$2.18 $2.18

-27.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$3.85 $3.85

-28.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

$59.3 $59.3

-53.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$2.66 $2.66

78.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$1.74 $1.74

86.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$28.24 $28.24

-80.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$1.07 $1.07

42.99%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

$27.1K $27.1K

-21.80%

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$26.1K $26.1K

-10.81%

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

$318 $318

-73.76%

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

$23.19 MX$434

$56.5 $56.5

-58.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$83.8 $83.8

-67.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$248 $248

-77.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$14.52 $14.52

-65.56%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$1,813 $1,813

-88.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$43.7K $43.7K

-88.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

$55.7 $55.7

-22.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$38.40 $38.40

10.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

$80.1 $80.1

-9.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$98.7 $98.7

-10.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$2,511 $2,511

-60.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$2,511 $2,511

-84.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$5,382 $5,382

-68.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$5,015 $5,015

-78.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$5,371 $5,371

-84.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.64

72.44%

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 Waltham, MA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Waltham, MA

$2.5K 59.3% 557% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Waltham, MA

$431 10.2% 67.6% $174

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Waltham, MA

$366 8.6% 82.9% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Waltham, MA

$459 10.8% 242% $324

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Waltham, MA

$123 2.9% 10.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Waltham, MA

$277 6.5% 317% $211

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Waltham, MA

$71 * 1.7% 40.1% $20

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 $2,511 in Waltham, MA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Waltham, MA are about 6.5 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 $94 in Waltham, MA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $431 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Waltham, MA

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

60,636

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Waltham, MA 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Waltham, MA

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 Waltham, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Waltham, MA is pricier by about 252%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $6,356 in Waltham, MA. 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 $2,511 in Waltham, MA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $4,237 in Waltham, MA. That makes Playa del Carmen about 72% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 54% 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 $1,202, than in Waltham, MA at $4,237. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waltham, MA 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Waltham, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.