Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Silver City, NM and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,550 in Silver City, NM, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Silver City, NM
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Silver City, NM Living Index
59

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

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Silver City, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,550

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,550 per month in Silver City, NM vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Silver City, NM $2,550
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,732 per month in Silver City, NM vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Silver City, NM $3,732
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,915 per month in Silver City, NM vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Silver City, NM $4,915
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Silver City, NM costs about 112% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Silver City, NM sits 88% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.28 $19.28

$10.86 MX$201

77.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 $80.2

$44.21 MX$817

81.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.98 $12.98

$11.76 MX$217

10.37%

Cappuccino

$5.22 $5.22

$3.68 MX$68.0

41.85%

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

$2.70 $2.70

$1.34 MX$24.79

101.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 $1.42

$0.82 MX$15.24

73.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.20 $7.20

$3.06 MX$56.6

135.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$4.94 MX$91.2

37.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.47 MX$27.17

-45.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.22 MX$40.95

51.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.48 MX$27.32

72.97%

Eggs

$4.79 $4.79

$2.49 MX$45.99

92.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.57 $13.57

$7.52 MX$139

80.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.89 $10.89

$7.96 MX$147

36.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 $16.97

$12.57 MX$232

35.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.78 MX$51.3

60.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.43 MX$26.37

19.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.62 MX$48.37

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.14 MX$39.49

91.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.02 MX$37.38

25.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.99 MX$36.74

24.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.14 MX$21.01

89.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.20 MX$22.18

25.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.07 $11.07

$4.26 MX$78.7

159.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.25 $13.25

$10.02 MX$185

32.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.54 MX$28.41

65.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.66 MX$49.17

38.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.53 MX$9.73

333.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 $2.77

$4.90 MX$90.6

-43.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$3.43 MX$63.5

-58.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.48 $35.48

$5.38 MX$99.4

559.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.45 MX$26.76

-36.55%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

70.41%

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

$22.1K $22.1K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-3.96%

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

$201 $201

$85.4 MX$1,577

135.30%

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

$62.0 $62.0

$23.46 MX$434

164.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.4 $74.4

$28.43 MX$525

161.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.48 $40.48

$62.2 MX$1,149

-34.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$12.95 $12.95

$5.10 MX$94.3

153.92%

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

$1,082 $1,082

$201 MX$3,715

437.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K $15.4K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

289.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 $54.6

$44.39 MX$820

23.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.50 $44.50

$41.35 MX$764

7.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 $97.1

$72.7 MX$1,344

33.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$89.6 MX$1,656

25.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 $1,075

$979 MX$18.1K

9.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 $1,294

$373 MX$6,887

247.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 $1,976

$1,681 MX$31.1K

17.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 $2,127

$1,095 MX$20.2K

94.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 $1,917

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-51.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,946 $1,946

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-68.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,949 $2,949

$738 MX$13.6K

299.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

11.45

-43.76%

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

Last update for Silver City, NM: 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

Silver City, NM

$1.3K 50.8%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 71.2% $922

Groceries & Markets

Silver City, NM

$372 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 30.5% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Silver City, NM

$337 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 59.3% $200

Eating Out

Silver City, NM

$322 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 37.8% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Silver City, NM

$139 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 19.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Silver City, NM

$66 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 9.1% $6

Getting Around

Silver City, NM

$19 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 172% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,075 in Silver City, NM 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 300% higher in Silver City, NM, 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 $80.0 in Silver City, NM versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Silver City, NM

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:58 10:58 PM

23:58 11:58 PM

1 h ahead of Silver City, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,700

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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

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Between locations

Silver City, NM Playa del Carmen 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Silver City, NM
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

Silver City, NM vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Silver City, NM is pricier by about 112%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,824 per month in Silver City, NM 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 $2,550 in Silver City, NM and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 112%.

Kindergarten costs $1,082 per month in Silver City, NM 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 Silver City, NM at $2,550. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Silver City, NM 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, Silver City, NM makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.