Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Round Rock, TX and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,333 in Round Rock, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Round Rock, TX, United States
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Round Rock, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,333
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,333 per month in Round Rock, TX vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Round Rock, TX $2,333
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,460 per month in Round Rock, TX vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Round Rock, TX $3,460
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,587 per month in Round Rock, TX vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Round Rock, TX $4,587
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Round Rock, TX costs about 94% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Round Rock, TX sits 71% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Round Rock, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.33 $20.33
$10.92 MX$205
86.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.1 $79.1
$43.37 MX$815
82.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.13 $12.13
$11.78 MX$221
2.97%
Cappuccino
$6.04 $6.04
$3.81 MX$71.6
58.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 $2.84
$1.28 MX$24.10
121.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 $2.38
$0.78 MX$14.71
205.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.85 $7.85
$3.17 MX$59.5
147.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.99 $8.99
$4.93 MX$92.7
82.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Round Rock, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 $1.10
$1.41 MX$26.43
-21.99%
White Bread (500g)
$3.69 $3.69
$2.22 MX$41.66
66.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.20 $3.20
$1.42 MX$26.64
125.35%
Eggs
$3.64 $3.64
$2.52 MX$47.41
44.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.90 $12.90
$7.26 MX$137
77.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.08 $14.08
$7.70 MX$145
82.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.44 $16.44
$12.69 MX$239
29.55%
Apples (1kg)
$4.79 $4.79
$2.78 MX$52.3
72.30%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 $1.63
$1.37 MX$25.71
18.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.01 $5.01
$2.55 MX$47.94
96.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.60 $4.60
$2.12 MX$39.90
116.98%
Potato (1kg)
$2.53 $2.53
$1.94 MX$36.43
30.41%
Onion (1kg)
$2.31 $2.31
$1.89 MX$35.44
22.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.80 $1.80
$1.15 MX$21.55
56.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.11 $2.11
$1.18 MX$22.16
78.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.91 $9.91
$4.30 MX$80.7
130.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.71 $14.71
$9.95 MX$187
47.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.08 $2.08
$1.58 MX$29.76
31.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.33 $3.33
$2.67 MX$50.2
24.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Round Rock, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.55 MX$10.40
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.62 MX$500
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.78 $2.78
$4.97 MX$93.4
-44.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.61 $1.61
$3.33 MX$62.6
-51.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.87 $23.87
$5.36 MX$101
345.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.01 $1.01
$1.44 MX$27.14
-29.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.3K $34.3K
$20.7K MX$388.4K
65.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K $26.1K
$23.5K MX$441.0K
11.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Round Rock, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$225 $225
$84.8 MX$1,594
165.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$59.2 $59.2
$23.41 MX$440
152.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.6 $69.6
$28.66 MX$539
142.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Round Rock, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.18 $49.18
$57.1 MX$1,072
-13.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$543
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.79 $13.79
$5.14 MX$96.6
168.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Round Rock, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,456 $1,456
$207 MX$3,882
604.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.0K $21.0K
$3,927 MX$73.8K
435.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Round Rock, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.5 $61.5
$43.35 MX$815
41.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.13 $43.13
$41.44 MX$779
4.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.5 $86.5
$74.2 MX$1,394
16.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102 $102
$89.3 MX$1,677
14.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Round Rock, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,186 $1,186
$980 MX$18.4K
21.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 $1,008
$381 MX$7,157
164.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,827 $1,827
$1,708 MX$32.1K
7.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,686 $1,686
$1,075 MX$20.2K
56.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,705 $2,705
$3,943 MX$74.1K
-31.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,703 $2,703
$6,158 MX$115.7K
-56.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Round Rock, TX
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,730 $4,730
$735 MX$13.8K
543.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.65
11.45
-41.92%

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

Last update for Round Rock, TX: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Round Rock, TX
$1K
Playa del Carmen
$381 62.2% $627
Groceries & Markets
Round Rock, TX
$402
Playa del Carmen
$255 36.6% $147
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Round Rock, TX
$354
Playa del Carmen
$137 61.3% $217
Eating Out
Round Rock, TX
$350
Playa del Carmen
$202 42.1% $147
Clothing & Footwear
Round Rock, TX
$132
Playa del Carmen
$112 15.4% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Round Rock, TX
$77
Playa del Carmen
$67 12.3% $9.4
Getting Around
Round Rock, TX
$11 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 366% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,186 in Round Rock, TX versus $980 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 Round Rock, TX are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Round Rock, TX versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $402 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Round Rock, TX
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
21:48 9:48 PM
22:48 10:48 PM
1 h ahead of Round Rock, TX
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
119,468
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Round Rock, TX Playa del Carmen 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Round Rock, 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
Round Rock, TX vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Round Rock, TX?
Yes – Round Rock, TX is pricier by about 94%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,500 per month in Round Rock, TX and $1,806 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,186 in Round Rock, TX.
What are total monthly expenses in Round Rock, TX and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,333 in Round Rock, TX and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 48% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,456 per month in Round Rock, TX and $207 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 Round Rock, TX or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Round Rock, TX at $2,333. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Round Rock, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Round Rock, TX 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Round Rock, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Round Rock, TX vs other spots: cost of living compared

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