Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portland, OR and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,305 in Portland, OR, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Portland, OR
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Portland, OR Living Index
59

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

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Portland, OR

🇺🇸 United States

$3,305

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Portland, OR and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Portland, OR and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,305 per month in Portland, OR vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Portland, OR $3,305
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,993 per month in Portland, OR vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Portland, OR $4,993
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $6,680 per month in Portland, OR vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Portland, OR $6,680
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Portland, OR costs about 174% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Portland, OR sits 144% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.60 $24.60

$10.86 MX$201

126.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 $89.5

$44.21 MX$817

102.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.83 $12.83

$11.76 MX$217

9.10%

Cappuccino

$6.01 $6.01

$3.68 MX$68.0

63.32%

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

$2.42 $2.42

$1.34 MX$24.79

80.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.82 MX$15.24

136.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.15 $8.15

$3.06 MX$56.6

166.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 $7.98

$4.94 MX$91.2

61.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.47 MX$27.17

-21.09%

White Bread (500g)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.22 MX$40.95

114.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$1.48 MX$27.32

229.05%

Eggs

$5.38 $5.38

$2.49 MX$45.99

116.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.76 $18.76

$7.52 MX$139

149.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.14 $19.14

$7.96 MX$147

140.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.65 $28.65

$12.57 MX$232

127.92%

Apples (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$2.78 MX$51.3

144.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.43 MX$26.37

41.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$2.62 MX$48.37

126.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.94 $8.94

$2.14 MX$39.49

317.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.02 MX$37.38

36.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.99 MX$36.74

16.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.14 MX$21.01

191.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.20 MX$22.18

115.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.29 $11.29

$4.26 MX$78.7

165.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 $15.12

$10.02 MX$185

50.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.54 MX$28.41

124.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.66 MX$49.17

93.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 $2.86

$0.53 MX$9.73

439.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.6 $99.6

$27.51 MX$508

262.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 $4.91

$4.90 MX$90.6

0.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 $1.92

$3.43 MX$63.5

-44.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.74 $23.74

$5.38 MX$99.4

341.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.45 MX$26.76

-13.10%

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

$33.6K $33.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

58.77%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

13.37%

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

$312 $312

$85.4 MX$1,577

265.58%

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

$63.0 $63.0

$23.46 MX$434

168.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.0 $69.0

$28.43 MX$525

142.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.1 $63.1

$62.2 MX$1,149

1.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.17 $30.17

$28.68 MX$530

5.20%

Cinema Ticket

$14.71 $14.71

$5.10 MX$94.3

188.43%

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

$1,731 $1,731

$201 MX$3,715

761.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.6K $24.6K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

522.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 $64.9

$44.39 MX$820

46.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 $42.37

$41.35 MX$764

2.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$72.7 MX$1,344

57.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$89.6 MX$1,656

46.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,972 $1,972

$979 MX$18.1K

101.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,535 $1,535

$373 MX$6,887

311.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,489 $3,489

$1,681 MX$31.1K

107.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,813 $2,813

$1,095 MX$20.2K

156.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,837 $3,837

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-2.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,407 $3,407

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-44.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,690 $4,690

$738 MX$13.6K

535.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.45

-42.62%

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

Last update for Portland, OR: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portland, OR

$1.5K 46.4%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 75.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Portland, OR

$568 17.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 54.5% $309

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portland, OR

$444 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 69.1% $307

Eating Out

Portland, OR

$382 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 47.5% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Portland, OR

$159 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29.8% $47

Getting Around

Portland, OR

$126 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 58.8% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Portland, OR

$92 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 21.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,972 in Portland, OR versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. 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 536% higher in Portland, OR, 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 $89.0 in Portland, OR versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $568 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Portland, OR

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

00:21 12:21 AM

2 h ahead of Portland, OR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

652,503

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Portland, OR Playa del Carmen 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Portland, OR
Playa del Carmen

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

Portland, OR vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Portland, OR is pricier by about 174%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,958 per month in Portland, OR and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $3,305 in Portland, OR and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 174%.

Public transport costs about 262% 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 Portland, OR at $3,305. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Portland, OR 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, Portland, OR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.