Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Renton, WA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,050 in Renton, WA, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Renton, WA
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Renton, WA Living Index
59

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

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Renton, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,050

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Renton, WA 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 Renton, WA and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,050 per month in Renton, WA vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Renton, WA $3,050
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $4,076 per month in Renton, WA vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Renton, WA $4,076
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $5,101 per month in Renton, WA vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Renton, WA $5,101
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Renton, WA costs about 152% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Renton, WA sits 126% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 $19.81

$10.76 MX$199

84.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.3 $93.3

$43.03 MX$795

116.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$11.79 MX$218

3.65%

Cappuccino

$4.72 $4.72

$3.87 MX$71.4

21.96%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$1.37 MX$25.29

78.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.84 MX$15.44

154.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.10 MX$57.3

63.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 $6.97

$5.07 MX$93.6

37.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.44 MX$26.55

-19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.23 MX$41.23

84.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.47 MX$27.17

143.54%

Eggs

$4.97 $4.97

$2.53 MX$46.71

96.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 $13.01

$7.30 MX$135

78.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$7.86 MX$145

-13.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.07 $16.07

$12.79 MX$236

25.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.90 MX$53.6

17.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.44 MX$26.53

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.55 MX$47.07

-14.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.06 MX$38.03

66.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.00 MX$36.97

16.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.01 MX$37.07

13.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.19 MX$22.02

48.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.26 MX$23.23

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 $13.33

$4.40 MX$81.4

202.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.82 $9.82

$9.59 MX$177

2.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.59 MX$29.41

7.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.81 MX$51.9

3.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.51 $3.51

$0.57 MX$10.47

515.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 $75.9

$27.82 MX$514

172.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 $3.55

$4.98 MX$92.1

-28.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 $0.66

$3.50 MX$64.6

-81.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.83 $14.83

$5.40 MX$99.8

174.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.47 MX$27.08

-14.97%

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

$18.7K $18.7K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

-10.89%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-4.73%

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

$198 $198

$84.2 MX$1,556

134.94%

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

$59.7 $59.7

$23.99 MX$443

148.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$29.02 MX$536

114.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.64 $38.64

$63.0 MX$1,164

-38.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.38 $39.38

$29.14 MX$539

35.14%

Cinema Ticket

$15.03 $15.03

$4.94 MX$91.3

204.25%

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

$1,629 $1,629

$204 MX$3,763

700.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K $16.4K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

316.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 $52.7

$43.60 MX$806

20.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.41 $30.41

$43.12 MX$797

-29.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.5 $64.5

$75.8 MX$1,400

-14.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 $78.9

$88.6 MX$1,637

-10.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,776 $1,776

$1,008 MX$18.6K

76.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 $1,814

$374 MX$6,911

384.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,952 $2,952

$1,708 MX$31.6K

72.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 $2,242

$1,106 MX$20.4K

102.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,800 $4,800

$3,944 MX$72.9K

21.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,808 $3,808

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-38.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,965 $4,965

$754 MX$13.9K

558.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

11.45

-42.45%

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

Last update for Renton, WA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Renton, WA

$1.8K 59.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 79.4% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Renton, WA

$340 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 23.9% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Renton, WA

$320 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 57.1% $183

Eating Out

Renton, WA

$309 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 34.6% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Renton, WA

$102 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 10.9% $11

Getting Around

Renton, WA

$97 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 45.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Renton, WA

$69 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 6.1% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,776 in Renton, WA versus $1,008 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 558% higher in Renton, WA, 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 $93.0 in Renton, WA versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Renton, WA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:54 2:54 PM

16:54 4:54 PM

2 h ahead of Renton, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,785

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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 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 →

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Renton, WA Playa del Carmen 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Renton, WA
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

Renton, WA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Renton, WA is pricier by about 152%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,575 per month in Renton, WA and $1,816 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 $3,050 in Renton, WA and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 152%.

Public transport costs about 173% 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 $1,210, than in Renton, WA at $3,050. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Renton, WA 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, Renton, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.