Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Springfield, IL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,641 in Springfield, IL, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Springfield, IL
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Springfield, IL Living Index
59

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

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Springfield, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,641

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,641 per month in Springfield, IL vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Springfield, IL $2,641
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,964 per month in Springfield, IL vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Springfield, IL $3,964
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $5,286 per month in Springfield, IL vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Springfield, IL $5,286
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Springfield, IL costs about 118% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Springfield, IL sits 96% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.61 $14.61

$10.76 MX$199

35.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.89 $42.89

$43.03 MX$795

-0.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 $10.13

$11.79 MX$218

-14.08%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$3.87 MX$71.4

34.37%

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

$1.95 $1.95

$1.37 MX$25.29

42.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.84 MX$15.44

88.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.10 MX$57.3

-5.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$5.07 MX$93.6

-19.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.44 MX$26.55

-47.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.23 MX$41.23

48.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.91 $8.91

$1.47 MX$27.17

506.12%

Eggs

$3.09 $3.09

$2.53 MX$46.71

22.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.08 $19.08

$7.30 MX$135

161.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.06 $17.06

$7.86 MX$145

117.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.40 $32.40

$12.79 MX$236

153.32%

Apples (1kg)

$8.62 $8.62

$2.90 MX$53.6

197.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.44 MX$26.53

-13.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.64 $8.64

$2.55 MX$47.07

238.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.06 MX$38.03

168.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.00 MX$36.97

62.00%

Onion (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.01 MX$37.07

122.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.19 MX$22.02

65.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.26 MX$23.23

29.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.90 $9.90

$4.40 MX$81.4

125.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 $11.03

$9.59 MX$177

15.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.59 MX$29.41

-22.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.81 MX$51.9

-42.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 $1.24

$0.57 MX$10.47

117.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.50 $39.50

$27.82 MX$514

41.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 $5.68

$4.98 MX$92.1

14.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 $1.09

$3.50 MX$64.6

-68.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.14 $18.14

$5.40 MX$99.8

235.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.47 MX$27.08

-35.37%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

73.48%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

11.71%

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

$233 $233

$84.2 MX$1,556

176.29%

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

$93.2 $93.2

$23.99 MX$443

288.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 $64.9

$29.02 MX$536

123.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.49 $49.49

$63.0 MX$1,164

-21.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 $19.74

$29.14 MX$539

-32.26%

Cinema Ticket

$12.57 $12.57

$4.94 MX$91.3

154.45%

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

$931 $931

$204 MX$3,763

357.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 $105

$43.60 MX$806

140.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

$43.12 MX$797

27.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 $125

$75.8 MX$1,400

65.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$88.6 MX$1,637

56.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 $915

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-9.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 $1,164

$374 MX$6,911

211.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,889 $1,889

$1,708 MX$31.6K

10.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,158 $2,158

$1,106 MX$20.4K

95.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,133 $3,133

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-20.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,184 $1,184

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-80.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,882 $3,882

$754 MX$13.9K

414.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.45

-42.79%

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

Last update for Springfield, IL: October 12, 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

Springfield, IL

$1.2K 44.1%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 67.9% $790

Groceries & Markets

Springfield, IL

$519 19.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 50.2% $260

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Springfield, IL

$391 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 64.9% $254

Eating Out

Springfield, IL

$247 9.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 18% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Springfield, IL

$191 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 40.8% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Springfield, IL

$75 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 2.4% $1.8

Getting Around

Springfield, IL

$56 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 5.4% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $915 in Springfield, IL 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 415% higher in Springfield, IL, 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 $43.00 in Springfield, IL versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $519 in Springfield, IL vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Springfield, IL

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

Same time as Springfield, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

116,482

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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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Springfield, IL Playa del Carmen 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Springfield, IL
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

Springfield, IL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Springfield, IL is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,962 per month in Springfield, IL 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 $2,641 in Springfield, IL and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 118%.

Public transport costs about 42% 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 Springfield, IL at $2,641. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Springfield, IL 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, Springfield, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.