Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sierra Vista, AZ and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,949 in Sierra Vista, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Sierra Vista, AZ
Learn more

Sierra Vista, AZ Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Sierra Vista, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$1,949

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,949 per month in Sierra Vista, AZ vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sierra Vista, AZ $1,949
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,894 per month in Sierra Vista, AZ vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sierra Vista, AZ $2,894
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,840 per month in Sierra Vista, AZ vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sierra Vista, AZ $3,840
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Sierra Vista, AZ costs about 62% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sierra Vista, AZ sits 44% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.17 $17.17

$10.86 MX$201

58.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.5 $65.5

$44.21 MX$817

48.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.59 $14.59

$11.76 MX$217

24.06%

Cappuccino

$6.23 $6.23

$3.68 MX$68.0

69.29%

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

$2.17 $2.17

$1.34 MX$24.79

61.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 $1.55

$0.82 MX$15.24

89.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.44 $5.44

$3.06 MX$56.6

77.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.18 $8.18

$4.94 MX$91.2

65.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.47 MX$27.17

-46.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.22 MX$40.95

45.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.48 MX$27.32

41.89%

Eggs

$4.36 $4.36

$2.49 MX$45.99

75.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.18 $14.18

$7.52 MX$139

88.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.30 $13.30

$7.96 MX$147

67.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 $14.84

$12.57 MX$232

18.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.78 MX$51.3

-3.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.43 MX$26.37

1.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.62 MX$48.37

56.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.14 MX$39.49

2.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.02 MX$37.38

-3.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.99 MX$36.74

50.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.14 MX$21.01

102.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.20 MX$22.18

120.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 $11.15

$4.26 MX$78.7

161.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$10.02 MX$185

46.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.54 MX$28.41

57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.66 MX$49.17

21.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 $2.70

$4.90 MX$90.6

-44.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 $1.36

$3.43 MX$63.5

-60.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.81 $35.81

$5.38 MX$99.4

565.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.45 MX$26.76

-25.52%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

70.25%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

12.43%

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

$134 $134

$85.4 MX$1,577

57.47%

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

$50.4 $50.4

$23.46 MX$434

115.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.2 $77.2

$28.43 MX$525

171.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$12.22 $12.22

$5.10 MX$94.3

139.61%

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

$981 $981

$201 MX$3,715

388.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K $22.8K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

478.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 $60.9

$44.39 MX$820

37.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.79 $43.79

$41.35 MX$764

5.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$72.7 MX$1,344

49.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$89.6 MX$1,656

49.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 $913

$979 MX$18.1K

-6.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 $812

$373 MX$6,887

117.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 $1,332

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-20.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 $1,313

$1,095 MX$20.2K

19.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,008 $2,008

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-49.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,971 $1,971

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-67.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,182 $4,182

$738 MX$13.6K

467.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

11.45

-44.28%

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

Last update for Sierra Vista, AZ: October 19, 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

Sierra Vista, AZ

$812 41.7%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 54.1% $439

Groceries & Markets

Sierra Vista, AZ

$370 19%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 30.2% $112

Eating Out

Sierra Vista, AZ

$314 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 36.3% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sierra Vista, AZ

$262 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 47.6% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Sierra Vista, AZ

$156 8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 28.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Sierra Vista, AZ

$24 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 196% $48

Getting Around

Sierra Vista, AZ

$9.5 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 444% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $913 in Sierra Vista, AZ 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 467% higher in Sierra Vista, AZ, 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 $66.0 in Sierra Vista, AZ versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sierra Vista, AZ

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:11 1:11 AM

03:11 3:11 AM

2 h ahead of Sierra Vista, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,308

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

Sierra Vista, AZ Playa del Carmen 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sierra Vista, AZ
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

Sierra Vista, AZ vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sierra Vista, AZ is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,923 per month in Sierra Vista, AZ 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 $1,949 in Sierra Vista, AZ and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 62%.

Kindergarten costs $981 per month in Sierra Vista, AZ 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 Sierra Vista, AZ at $1,949. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sierra Vista, AZ 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, Sierra Vista, AZ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.