Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Robinson, IL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,396 in Robinson, IL, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Robinson, IL, United States
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Robinson, IL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,396
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,396 per month in Robinson, IL vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Robinson, IL $2,396
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,431 per month in Robinson, IL vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Robinson, IL $3,431
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,466 per month in Robinson, IL vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Robinson, IL $4,466
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Robinson, IL costs about 99% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Robinson, IL sits 77% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Robinson, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.20 $11.20
$10.67 MX$199
4.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.7 $55.7
$43.80 MX$815
27.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.23 $9.23
$11.79 MX$219
-21.71%
Cappuccino
$5.02 $5.02
$3.79 MX$70.5
32.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 $2.20
$1.30 MX$24.14
69.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 $1.56
$0.83 MX$15.51
87.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.88 $5.88
$3.15 MX$58.6
86.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.05 $7.05
$4.93 MX$91.8
43.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Robinson, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.75 $0.75
$1.41 MX$26.22
-46.81%
White Bread (500g)
$2.45 $2.45
$2.20 MX$40.86
11.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.15 $5.15
$1.47 MX$27.40
250.34%
Eggs
$3.05 $3.05
$2.50 MX$46.46
22.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.47 $13.47
$7.29 MX$136
84.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.02 $7.02
$7.95 MX$148
-11.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.68 $5.68
$12.86 MX$239
-55.83%
Apples (1kg)
$3.84 $3.84
$2.90 MX$53.9
32.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.34 $1.34
$1.38 MX$25.74
-2.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.60 $3.60
$2.49 MX$46.35
44.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.31 $4.31
$2.03 MX$37.77
112.32%
Potato (1kg)
$2.67 $2.67
$2.02 MX$37.68
32.18%
Onion (1kg)
$2.58 $2.58
$1.90 MX$35.42
35.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.22 $2.22
$1.14 MX$21.30
94.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.36 $2.36
$1.24 MX$23.05
90.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.97 $8.97
$4.27 MX$79.5
110.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.77 $15.77
$9.81 MX$183
60.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.86 $2.86
$1.59 MX$29.51
79.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.89 $3.89
$2.75 MX$51.1
41.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Robinson, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.15 $2.15
$0.51 MX$9.58
321.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$59.9 $59.9
$27.39 MX$510
118.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.78 $2.78
$4.76 MX$88.6
-41.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 $1.37
$3.25 MX$60.5
-57.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.28 $18.28
$5.39 MX$100
239.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.02 $1.02
$1.53 MX$28.44
-33.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.5K $33.5K
$21.2K MX$394.8K
57.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K $26.1K
$23.3K MX$432.9K
12.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Robinson, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$182 $182
$83.5 MX$1,554
117.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$58.3 $58.3
$23.19 MX$431
151.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.5 $67.5
$27.61 MX$514
144.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Robinson, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.23 $41.23
$56.4 MX$1,050
-26.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.19 MX$525
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.15 $11.15
$5.00 MX$93.1
123.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Robinson, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$392 $392
$207 MX$3,854
89.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.9K $23.9K
$5,231 MX$97.3K
356.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Robinson, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.48 $49.48
$43.45 MX$809
13.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.03 $35.03
$42.54 MX$792
-17.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.2 $61.2
$72.8 MX$1,354
-15.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 $79.6
$88.4 MX$1,645
-9.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Robinson, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$583 $583
$995 MX$18.5K
-41.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,285 $1,285
$382 MX$7,116
235.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,570 $2,570
$1,674 MX$31.2K
53.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,130 $2,130
$1,081 MX$20.1K
97.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,845 $2,845
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-27.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,051 $2,051
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-66.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Robinson, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,914 $4,914
$832 MX$15.5K
490.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.4
11.45
-44.10%

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

Last update for Robinson, IL: 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
Robinson, IL
$1.3K
Playa del Carmen
$382 70.2% $902
Groceries & Markets
Robinson, IL
$325
Playa del Carmen
$257 20.7% $67
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Robinson, IL
$308
Playa del Carmen
$134 56.3% $173
Eating Out
Robinson, IL
$236
Playa del Carmen
$200 15.1% $36
Clothing & Footwear
Robinson, IL
$101
Playa del Carmen
$111 9.7% $9.8
Getting Around
Robinson, IL
$78
Playa del Carmen
$50 35.3% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Robinson, IL
$64
Playa del Carmen
$66 4.6% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $583 in Robinson, IL 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.

Salaries in Robinson, IL are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Robinson, IL versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Robinson, IL
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
00:09 12:09 AM
01:09 1:09 AM
1 h ahead of Robinson, IL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
12,443
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Robinson, IL Playa del Carmen 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Robinson, IL
  • 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
Robinson, IL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Robinson, IL?
Yes – Robinson, IL is pricier by about 99%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,594 per month in Robinson, IL and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Robinson, IL, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $583 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Robinson, IL and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,396 in Robinson, IL and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 50% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 54% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Robinson, IL or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Robinson, IL at $2,396. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Robinson, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Robinson, IL or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $2,396 in Robinson, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Robinson, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Robinson, IL vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?