Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spartanburg, SC and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,299 in Spartanburg, SC, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Spartanburg, SC
Learn more

Spartanburg, SC Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Spartanburg, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,299

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,299 per month in Spartanburg, SC vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Spartanburg, SC $2,299
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,394 per month in Spartanburg, SC vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Spartanburg, SC $3,394
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,488 per month in Spartanburg, SC vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Spartanburg, SC $4,488
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Spartanburg, SC costs about 90% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Spartanburg, SC sits 70% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.24 $17.24

$10.76 MX$199

60.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 $60.7

$43.03 MX$795

41.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.84 $9.84

$11.79 MX$218

-16.54%

Cappuccino

$5.71 $5.71

$3.87 MX$71.4

47.55%

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

$2.13 $2.13

$1.37 MX$25.29

55.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.84 MX$15.44

179.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.10 MX$57.3

63.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.07 $7.07

$5.07 MX$93.6

39.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.44 MX$26.55

-30.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.23 MX$41.23

57.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.66 $5.66

$1.47 MX$27.17

285.03%

Eggs

$3.82 $3.82

$2.53 MX$46.71

50.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.15 $13.15

$7.30 MX$135

80.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.91 $12.91

$7.86 MX$145

64.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.56 $16.56

$12.79 MX$236

29.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.90 MX$53.6

12.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.44 MX$26.53

65.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.55 MX$47.07

52.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.15 $6.15

$2.06 MX$38.03

198.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.00 MX$36.97

34.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.01 MX$37.07

84.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.19 MX$22.02

87.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.26 MX$23.23

134.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.05 $9.05

$4.40 MX$81.4

105.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.77 $16.77

$9.59 MX$177

74.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$2.81 MX$51.9

146.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$119 $119

$27.82 MX$514

328.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.47 MX$27.08

-41.50%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

64.26%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

10.78%

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

$177 $177

$84.2 MX$1,556

110.31%

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

$93.5 $93.5

$23.99 MX$443

289.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.5 $61.5

$29.02 MX$536

111.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.87 $26.87

$63.0 MX$1,164

-57.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$12.23 $12.23

$4.94 MX$91.3

147.57%

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

$942 $942

$204 MX$3,763

362.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.14 $41.14

$43.60 MX$806

-5.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.13 $35.13

$43.12 MX$797

-18.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 $80.0

$75.8 MX$1,400

5.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$88.6 MX$1,637

33.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,248 $1,248

$1,008 MX$18.6K

23.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$959 $959

$374 MX$6,911

156.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 $2,161

$1,708 MX$31.6K

26.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 $1,588

$1,106 MX$20.4K

43.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,819 $1,819

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-53.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,821 $1,821

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-70.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,464 $3,464

$754 MX$13.9K

359.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.22

11.45

-36.94%

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

Last update for Spartanburg, SC: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spartanburg, SC

$959 41.7%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 61% $585

Groceries & Markets

Spartanburg, SC

$421 * 18.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 38.6% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spartanburg, SC

$332 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 58.7% $195

Eating Out

Spartanburg, SC

$293 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 31% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Spartanburg, SC

$123 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 8.4% $10

Getting Around

Spartanburg, SC

$119 * 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 55.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Spartanburg, SC

$51 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 42% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,248 in Spartanburg, SC versus $1,008 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 359% higher in Spartanburg, SC, 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 $61.0 in Spartanburg, SC versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $421 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Spartanburg, SC

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

23:46 11:46 PM

1 h behind Spartanburg, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,013

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Spartanburg, SC Playa del Carmen 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Spartanburg, SC
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

Spartanburg, SC vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Spartanburg, SC is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,449 per month in Spartanburg, SC and $1,816 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 $2,299 in Spartanburg, SC and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 90%.

Public transport costs about 329% 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 $1,210, than in Spartanburg, SC at $2,299. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Spartanburg, SC 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, Spartanburg, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.