Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roma, TX and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,589 in Roma, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Roma, TX
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Roma, TX Living Index
57

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

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Roma, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,589

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,589 per month in Roma, TX vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Roma, TX $2,589
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,801 per month in Roma, TX vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Roma, TX $3,801
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,012 per month in Roma, TX vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Roma, TX $5,012
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Roma, TX costs about 115% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Roma, TX sits 92% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$10.67 MX$199

89.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 $74.6

$43.80 MX$815

70.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 $11.33

$11.79 MX$219

-3.90%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$3.79 MX$70.5

37.99%

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

$2.75 $2.75

$1.30 MX$24.14

111.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.83 MX$15.51

146.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.02 $6.02

$3.15 MX$58.6

91.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$4.93 MX$91.8

44.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.41 MX$26.22

-28.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.20 MX$40.86

60.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$1.47 MX$27.40

189.80%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.50 MX$46.46

65.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 $12.56

$7.29 MX$136

72.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.68 $11.68

$7.95 MX$148

46.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.01 $17.01

$12.86 MX$239

32.27%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$2.90 MX$53.9

79.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.38 MX$25.74

14.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.49 MX$46.35

69.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.03 MX$37.77

133.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.02 MX$37.68

38.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.90 MX$35.42

50.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.14 MX$21.30

92.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.24 MX$23.05

86.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.18 $10.18

$4.27 MX$79.5

138.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.84 $14.84

$9.81 MX$183

51.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.59 MX$29.51

20.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.75 MX$51.1

22.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.51 MX$9.58

286.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 $59.9

$27.39 MX$510

118.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 $3.36

$4.76 MX$88.6

-29.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$3.25 MX$60.5

-45.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.25 $26.25

$5.39 MX$100

387.01%

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)

$27.7K $27.7K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

30.65%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

11.73%

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

$202 $202

$83.5 MX$1,554

141.71%

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

$59.5 $59.5

$23.19 MX$431

156.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$27.61 MX$514

154.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.95 $39.95

$56.4 MX$1,050

-29.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.94 $19.94

$28.19 MX$525

-29.27%

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 $13.58

$5.00 MX$93.1

171.60%

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

$1,371 $1,371

$207 MX$3,854

562.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K $21.4K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

309.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 $54.0

$43.45 MX$809

24.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.21 $41.21

$42.54 MX$792

-3.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$72.8 MX$1,354

19.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$88.4 MX$1,645

30.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 $1,556

$995 MX$18.5K

56.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 $1,256

$382 MX$7,116

228.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,599 $2,599

$1,674 MX$31.2K

55.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,067 $2,067

$1,081 MX$20.1K

91.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,866 $2,866

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-26.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 $2,372

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-61.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,335 $1,335

$832 MX$15.5K

60.45%

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 Roma, TX: 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

Roma, TX

$1.3K 48.5%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 69.6% $874

Groceries & Markets

Roma, TX

$399 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 35.5% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roma, TX

$331 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 59.5% $197

Eating Out

Roma, TX

$322 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 37.8% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Roma, TX

$134 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 16.8% $23

Getting Around

Roma, TX

$80 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 36.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Roma, TX

$67 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,556 in Roma, TX 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 run about 60% higher in Roma, TX, 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 $75 in Roma, TX 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

🇺🇸 Roma, TX

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:16 2:16 PM

15:16 3:16 PM

1 h ahead of Roma, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,561

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Roma, TX Playa del Carmen 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Roma, TX
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

Roma, TX vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Roma, TX is pricier by about 115%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,884 per month in Roma, TX 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 $1,556 in Roma, TX.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,589 in Roma, TX and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 54% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 54% 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 Roma, TX at $2,589. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Roma, TX 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Roma, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.