Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scottsbluff, NE and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,809 in Scottsbluff, NE, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Scottsbluff, NE
Learn more

Scottsbluff, NE Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Scottsbluff, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$1,809

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,809 per month in Scottsbluff, NE vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Scottsbluff, NE $1,809
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,701 per month in Scottsbluff, NE vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Scottsbluff, NE $2,701
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,592 per month in Scottsbluff, NE vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Scottsbluff, NE $3,592
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Scottsbluff, NE costs about 50% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Scottsbluff, NE sits 34% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.91 $19.91

$10.86 MX$201

83.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.8 $64.8

$44.21 MX$817

46.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.83 $11.83

$11.76 MX$217

0.60%

Cappuccino

$5.91 $5.91

$3.68 MX$68.0

60.60%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$1.34 MX$24.79

126.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.82 MX$15.24

185.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.89 $6.89

$3.06 MX$56.6

125.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 $7.83

$4.94 MX$91.2

58.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.47 MX$27.17

-36.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.22 MX$40.95

-51.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.48 MX$27.32

25.00%

Eggs

$5.30 $5.30

$2.49 MX$45.99

112.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.60 $8.60

$7.52 MX$139

14.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.97 $12.97

$7.96 MX$147

62.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.32 $11.32

$12.57 MX$232

-9.94%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.78 MX$51.3

83.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.43 MX$26.37

-11.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.62 MX$48.37

62.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$2.14 MX$39.49

137.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.02 MX$37.38

-24.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.99 MX$36.74

-4.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.14 MX$21.01

56.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.20 MX$22.18

92.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 $10.65

$4.26 MX$78.7

150.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.62 $18.62

$10.02 MX$185

85.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.54 MX$28.41

71.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.66 MX$49.17

33.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.53 MX$9.73

262.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 $3.60

$4.90 MX$90.6

-26.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$3.43 MX$63.5

-48.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.09 $30.09

$5.38 MX$99.4

459.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.45 MX$26.76

-26.21%

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

$30.9K $30.9K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

46.01%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

13.28%

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

$164 $164

$85.4 MX$1,577

92.13%

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

$77.9 $77.9

$23.46 MX$434

232.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$28.43 MX$525

143.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.52 $45.52

$62.2 MX$1,149

-26.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 $15.22

$5.10 MX$94.3

198.43%

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

$813 $813

$201 MX$3,715

304.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.4K $34.4K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

772.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 $58.9

$44.39 MX$820

32.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.78 $39.78

$41.35 MX$764

-3.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 $70.5

$72.7 MX$1,344

-3.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 $130

$89.6 MX$1,656

45.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$745 $745

$979 MX$18.1K

-23.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 $580

$373 MX$6,887

55.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 $1,207

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-28.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$912 $912

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-16.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,656 $2,656

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-32.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,490 $2,490

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-59.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,006 $2,006

$738 MX$13.6K

171.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.9

11.45

-39.74%

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

Last update for Scottsbluff, NE: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Scottsbluff, NE

$580 32.1%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 35.7% $207

Groceries & Markets

Scottsbluff, NE

$350 19.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 26.1% $91

Eating Out

Scottsbluff, NE

$337 18.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 40.6% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scottsbluff, NE

$311 17.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 55.9% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Scottsbluff, NE

$135 7.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 17.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Scottsbluff, NE

$76 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 4.7% $3.6

Getting Around

Scottsbluff, NE

$20 * 1.1%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 157% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $745 in Scottsbluff, NE versus $979 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 172% higher in Scottsbluff, NE, 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 $65.0 in Scottsbluff, NE versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Scottsbluff, NE

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:07 9:07 PM

22:07 10:07 PM

1 h ahead of Scottsbluff, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,039

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Scottsbluff, NE Playa del Carmen 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Scottsbluff, NE
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

Scottsbluff, NE vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Scottsbluff, NE is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,713 per month in Scottsbluff, NE 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,809 in Scottsbluff, NE and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 50%.

Kindergarten costs $813 per month in Scottsbluff, NE and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Scottsbluff, NE at $1,809. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Scottsbluff, NE 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Scottsbluff, NE makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.