Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rolla, MO and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,408 in Rolla, MO, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Rolla, MO
🇺🇸 United States
$2,408
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,408 per month in Rolla, MO vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Rolla, MO $2,408
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,725 per month in Rolla, MO vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Rolla, MO $2,725
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,042 per month in Rolla, MO vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Rolla, MO $3,042
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

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

Rolla, MO sits 78% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rolla, MO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.13 $12.13
$10.76 MX$199
12.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.90 $34.90
$43.03 MX$795
-18.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.15 $9.15
$11.79 MX$218
-22.39%
Cappuccino
$4.06 $4.06
$3.87 MX$71.4
4.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 $1.96
$1.37 MX$25.29
43.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.23 $1.23
$0.84 MX$15.44
46.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 $3.06
$3.10 MX$57.3
-1.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.96 $3.96
$5.07 MX$93.6
-21.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rolla, MO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.01 $1.01
$1.44 MX$26.55
-29.86%
White Bread (500g)
$3.37 $3.37
$2.23 MX$41.23
51.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 $2.20
$1.47 MX$27.17
49.66%
Eggs
$1.42 $1.42
$2.53 MX$46.71
-43.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.06 $11.06
$7.30 MX$135
51.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.87 $8.87
$7.86 MX$145
12.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.49 $7.49
$12.79 MX$236
-41.44%
Apples (1kg)
$4.37 $4.37
$2.90 MX$53.6
50.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.12 $1.12
$1.44 MX$26.53
-22.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.13 $3.13
$2.55 MX$47.07
22.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.49 $4.49
$2.06 MX$38.03
117.96%
Potato (1kg)
$1.68 $1.68
$2.00 MX$36.97
-16.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.36 $2.36
$2.01 MX$37.07
17.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.77 $1.77
$1.19 MX$22.02
48.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.08 $2.08
$1.26 MX$23.23
65.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.89 $4.89
$4.40 MX$81.4
11.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.97 $4.97
$9.59 MX$177
-48.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 $1.77
$1.59 MX$29.41
11.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.43 $4.43
$2.81 MX$51.9
57.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Rolla, MO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.27 $2.27
$0.57 MX$10.47
298.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.82 MX$514
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.97 $2.97
$4.98 MX$92.1
-40.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.40 $1.40
$3.50 MX$64.6
-60.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.78 $35.78
$5.40 MX$99.8
562.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.91 $0.91
$1.47 MX$27.08
-38.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.0K $35.0K
$21.0K MX$387.8K
66.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K $26.5K
$23.9K MX$441.8K
10.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rolla, MO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$270 $270
$84.2 MX$1,556
221.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$59.2 $59.2
$23.99 MX$443
146.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.7 $71.7
$29.02 MX$536
147.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rolla, MO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.07 $41.07
$63.0 MX$1,164
-34.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.13 $10.13
$29.14 MX$539
-65.24%
Cinema Ticket
$10.02 $10.02
$4.94 MX$91.3
102.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rolla, MO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$770 $770
$204 MX$3,763
277.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.8K $25.8K
$3,941 MX$72.8K
554.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rolla, MO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.3 $72.3
$43.60 MX$806
65.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.93 $36.93
$43.12 MX$797
-14.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.8 $79.8
$75.8 MX$1,400
5.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 $123
$88.6 MX$1,637
38.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rolla, MO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,584 $1,584
$1,008 MX$18.6K
57.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,286 $1,286
$374 MX$6,911
243.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,085 $1,085
$1,708 MX$31.6K
-36.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$834 $834
$1,106 MX$20.4K
-24.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,620 $2,620
$3,944 MX$72.9K
-33.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,260 $2,260
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-63.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rolla, MO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,552 $4,552
$754 MX$13.9K
503.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.36
11.45
-44.45%

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

Last update for Rolla, MO: October 13, 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
Rolla, MO
$1.3K
Playa del Carmen
$374 70.9% $912
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rolla, MO
$401
Playa del Carmen
$137 65.8% $264
Groceries & Markets
Rolla, MO
$291
Playa del Carmen
$258 11.3% $33
Eating Out
Rolla, MO
$209
Playa del Carmen
$202 3.3% $6.9
Clothing & Footwear
Rolla, MO
$140
Playa del Carmen
$113 19.4% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Rolla, MO
$61
Playa del Carmen
$73 19.2% $12
Getting Around
Rolla, MO
$19 *
Playa del Carmen
$53 176% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,584 in Rolla, MO 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 503% higher in Rolla, MO, 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 $35.00 in Rolla, MO versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $291 in Rolla, MO vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Rolla, MO
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
04:16 4:16 AM
04:16 4:16 AM
Same time as Rolla, MO
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
19,943
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rolla, MO Playa del Carmen 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rolla, MO
  • 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
Rolla, MO vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Rolla, MO?
Yes – Rolla, MO 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 $3,613 per month in Rolla, MO and $1,816 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Rolla, MO and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,408 in Rolla, MO and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 99%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $770 per month in Rolla, MO and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Rolla, MO or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Rolla, MO at $2,408. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rolla, MO it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Rolla, MO or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rolla, MO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Rolla, MO vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

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