Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roanoke, AL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,443 in Roanoke, AL, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Roanoke, AL
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Roanoke, AL Living Index
57

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

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Roanoke, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,443

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,443 per month in Roanoke, AL vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Roanoke, AL $2,443
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,736 per month in Roanoke, AL vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Roanoke, AL $3,736
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,030 per month in Roanoke, AL vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Roanoke, AL $5,030
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Roanoke, AL costs about 103% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Roanoke, AL sits 81% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.13 $20.13

$10.67 MX$199

88.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$43.80 MX$815

68.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.56 $11.56

$11.79 MX$219

-1.95%

Cappuccino

$5.27 $5.27

$3.79 MX$70.5

39.05%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$1.30 MX$24.14

103.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.83 MX$15.51

143.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.15 MX$58.6

87.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.57 $6.57

$4.93 MX$91.8

33.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.41 MX$26.22

-26.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.20 MX$40.86

64.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.47 MX$27.40

236.73%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$2.50 MX$46.46

63.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 $10.63

$7.29 MX$136

45.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.55 $11.55

$7.95 MX$148

45.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 $17.03

$12.86 MX$239

32.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$2.90 MX$53.9

78.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.38 MX$25.74

19.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.49 MX$46.35

79.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.03 MX$37.77

128.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.02 MX$37.68

41.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.90 MX$35.42

38.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.14 MX$21.30

105.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.24 MX$23.05

104.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.41 $10.41

$4.27 MX$79.5

143.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.03 $15.03

$9.81 MX$183

53.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.59 MX$29.51

15.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.75 MX$51.1

9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.51 MX$9.58

250.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.5 $60.5

$27.39 MX$510

120.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 $3.14

$4.76 MX$88.6

-34.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$3.25 MX$60.5

-42.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.55 $25.55

$5.39 MX$100

374.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.53 MX$28.44

-37.25%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

23.10%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

5.92%

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

$196 $196

$83.5 MX$1,554

134.85%

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

$67.0 $67.0

$23.19 MX$431

188.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$27.61 MX$514

150.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.23 $40.23

$56.4 MX$1,050

-28.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$13.80 $13.80

$5.00 MX$93.1

176.00%

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

$1,342 $1,342

$207 MX$3,854

548.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

339.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$43.45 MX$809

23.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.09 $41.09

$42.54 MX$792

-3.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 $89.8

$72.8 MX$1,354

23.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$88.4 MX$1,645

30.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 $1,673

$995 MX$18.5K

68.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 $1,108

$382 MX$7,116

189.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,534 $2,534

$1,674 MX$31.2K

51.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 $2,102

$1,081 MX$20.1K

94.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,844 $2,844

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-27.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,343 $2,343

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-61.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 Roanoke, AL: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Roanoke, AL

$1.1K 45.4%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 65.5% $726

Groceries & Markets

Roanoke, AL

$399 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 35.5% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roanoke, AL

$332 13.6%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 59.6% $198

Eating Out

Roanoke, AL

$320 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 37.5% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Roanoke, AL

$135 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 17.6% $24

Getting Around

Roanoke, AL

$80 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 37.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Roanoke, AL

$68 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 2.1% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,673 in Roanoke, AL versus $995 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Roanoke, AL versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Roanoke, AL

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

13:56 1:56 PM

1 h ahead of Roanoke, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

99,837

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Roanoke, AL Playa del Carmen 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Roanoke, AL
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

Roanoke, AL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Roanoke, AL is pricier by about 103%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,664 per month in Roanoke, AL and $1,804 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,673 in Roanoke, AL.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,443 in Roanoke, AL and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 51% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 55% 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 Roanoke, AL at $2,443. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Roanoke, AL 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 51% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.