Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Charles, IL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,758 in Saint Charles, IL, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Saint Charles, IL
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Saint Charles, IL Living Index
58

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

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Saint Charles, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,758

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,758 per month in Saint Charles, IL vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint Charles, IL $2,758
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,119 per month in Saint Charles, IL vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint Charles, IL $4,119
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,480 per month in Saint Charles, IL vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint Charles, IL $5,480
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Saint Charles, IL costs about 129% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Saint Charles, IL sits 103% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$38.06 $38.06

$10.92 MX$204

248.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.5 $98.5

$43.37 MX$808

127.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 $10.46

$11.78 MX$220

-11.21%

Cappuccino

$6.85 $6.85

$3.81 MX$71.0

79.79%

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

$3.41 $3.41

$1.28 MX$23.90

166.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$0.78 MX$14.59

275.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 $6.96

$3.17 MX$59.0

119.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.31 $7.31

$4.93 MX$92.0

48.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.41 MX$26.22

-29.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.22 MX$41.33

60.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.42 MX$26.42

208.45%

Eggs

$4.40 $4.40

$2.52 MX$47.03

74.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.26 $12.26

$7.26 MX$135

68.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 $11.70

$7.70 MX$143

51.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$12.69 MX$237

3.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.78 MX$51.9

78.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.37 MX$25.50

-24.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.55 MX$47.55

65.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.12 MX$39.58

125.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.94 MX$36.13

42.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.89 MX$35.16

55.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.15 MX$21.37

38.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.18 MX$21.98

89.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.00 $10.00

$4.30 MX$80.1

132.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.78 $14.78

$9.95 MX$185

48.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.58 MX$29.52

27.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.67 MX$49.79

29.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.55 MX$10.31

269.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.5 $56.5

$26.62 MX$496

112.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 $3.12

$4.97 MX$92.6

-37.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 $1.75

$3.33 MX$62.1

-47.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.35 $30.35

$5.36 MX$99.8

466.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.44 MX$26.92

-29.17%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

37.30%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

11.43%

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

$200 $200

$84.8 MX$1,581

136.25%

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

$57.2 $57.2

$23.41 MX$436

144.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$28.66 MX$534

140.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.10 $42.10

$57.1 MX$1,063

-26.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 $13.95

$5.14 MX$95.8

171.40%

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

$1,396 $1,396

$207 MX$3,851

575.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K $23.4K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

496.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 $52.2

$43.35 MX$808

20.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 $41.94

$41.44 MX$772

1.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 $89.9

$74.2 MX$1,383

21.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$89.3 MX$1,664

30.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 $1,601

$980 MX$18.3K

63.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 $1,276

$381 MX$7,099

235.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 $2,547

$1,708 MX$31.8K

49.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,113 $2,113

$1,075 MX$20.0K

96.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,724 $2,724

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-30.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,361 $2,361

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-61.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.45

-42.62%

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

Last update for Saint Charles, IL: 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

Saint Charles, IL

$1.3K 46.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 70.2% $895

Eating Out

Saint Charles, IL

$493 17.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 58.9% $290

Groceries & Markets

Saint Charles, IL

$381 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 33.1% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Charles, IL

$326 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 58.1% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Charles, IL

$135 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 17.4% $24

Getting Around

Saint Charles, IL

$76 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 34% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Charles, IL

$70 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 3.8% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,601 in Saint Charles, IL 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Saint Charles, IL versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Charles, IL

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

Same time as Saint Charles, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,329

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Saint Charles, IL Playa del Carmen 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Charles, 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

Saint Charles, IL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint Charles, IL is pricier by about 129%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,137 per month in Saint Charles, IL and $1,806 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 $980 there versus $1,601 in Saint Charles, IL.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,758 in Saint Charles, IL and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 56% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 53% 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 $1,204, than in Saint Charles, IL at $2,758. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Charles, IL 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 56% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.