Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Joseph, MO and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,526 in Saint Joseph, MO, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Saint Joseph, MO
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Saint Joseph, MO Living Index
57

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

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Saint Joseph, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,526

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,526 per month in Saint Joseph, MO vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint Joseph, MO $2,526
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,681 per month in Saint Joseph, MO vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint Joseph, MO $3,681
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,836 per month in Saint Joseph, MO vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint Joseph, MO $4,836
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Saint Joseph, MO costs about 110% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Saint Joseph, MO sits 87% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.12 $20.12

$10.67 MX$199

88.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.48 $49.48

$43.80 MX$815

12.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 $10.81

$11.79 MX$219

-8.31%

Cappuccino

$5.00 $5.00

$3.79 MX$70.5

31.93%

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

$2.03 $2.03

$1.30 MX$24.14

56.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 $1.14

$0.83 MX$15.51

37.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.15 MX$58.6

55.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 $7.87

$4.93 MX$91.8

59.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.41 MX$26.22

-36.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.20 MX$40.86

48.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.27 $6.27

$1.47 MX$27.40

326.53%

Eggs

$4.67 $4.67

$2.50 MX$46.47

86.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 $11.38

$7.29 MX$136

56.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 $8.37

$7.95 MX$148

5.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.10 $15.10

$12.86 MX$239

17.42%

Apples (1kg)

$6.64 $6.64

$2.90 MX$53.9

128.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.38 MX$25.74

52.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.84 $5.84

$2.49 MX$46.36

134.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.03 MX$37.78

106.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.02 MX$37.69

67.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.70 $3.70

$1.90 MX$35.42

94.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.14 MX$21.30

64.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.24 MX$23.06

106.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.87 $8.87

$4.27 MX$79.5

107.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.28 $17.28

$9.81 MX$183

76.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.59 MX$29.51

12.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.75 MX$51.1

-6.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 $1.74

$0.51 MX$9.58

241.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.3 $67.3

$27.39 MX$510

145.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$4.76 MX$88.6

2.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$3.25 MX$60.5

-44.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.06 $35.06

$5.39 MX$100

550.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.53 MX$28.44

-29.41%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

28.82%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

11.92%

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

$147 $147

$83.5 MX$1,554

75.94%

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

$47.66 $47.66

$23.19 MX$431

105.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.6 $66.6

$27.61 MX$514

141.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.95 $35.95

$56.4 MX$1,050

-36.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 $14.85

$5.00 MX$93.1

197.00%

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

$821 $821

$207 MX$3,854

296.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,129 $9,129

$5,231 MX$97.4K

74.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.88 $47.88

$43.45 MX$809

10.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.87 $34.87

$42.54 MX$792

-18.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$72.8 MX$1,354

23.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$88.4 MX$1,645

31.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 $1,594

$995 MX$18.5K

60.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$382 MX$7,116

233.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,535 $2,535

$1,674 MX$31.2K

51.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,138 $2,138

$1,081 MX$20.1K

97.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,566 $1,566

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-59.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,537 $1,537

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-74.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,808 $2,808

$832 MX$15.5K

237.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

11.45

-44.37%

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

Last update for Saint Joseph, MO: October 31, 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

Saint Joseph, MO

$1.3K 50.4%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 70% $892

Groceries & Markets

Saint Joseph, MO

$401 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 35.8% $144

Eating Out

Saint Joseph, MO

$306 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 34.6% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Joseph, MO

$261 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 48.6% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Joseph, MO

$130 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 14.5% $19

Getting Around

Saint Joseph, MO

$88 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 42.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Joseph, MO

$66 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 1.2% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,594 in Saint Joseph, MO 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 Saint Joseph, MO are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Saint Joseph, MO versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Joseph, MO

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:18 2:18 PM

15:18 3:18 PM

1 h ahead of Saint Joseph, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,780

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Saint Joseph, MO Playa del Carmen 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Joseph, 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

Saint Joseph, MO vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint Joseph, MO is pricier by about 110%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,790 per month in Saint Joseph, MO 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 $1,594 in Saint Joseph, MO.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,526 in Saint Joseph, MO and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 52% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 59% 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 Saint Joseph, MO at $2,526. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Joseph, MO 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, Saint Joseph, MO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.