Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,093 in Springfield, MA, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Springfield, MA
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Springfield, MA Living Index
58

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

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Springfield, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,093

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,093 per month in Springfield, MA vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Springfield, MA $3,093
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,347 per month in Springfield, MA vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Springfield, MA $4,347
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,600 per month in Springfield, MA vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Springfield, MA $5,600
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Springfield, MA costs about 157% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Springfield, MA sits 127% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.85 $22.85

$10.92 MX$205

109.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 $83.3

$43.37 MX$814

92.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.28 $14.28

$11.78 MX$221

21.22%

Cappuccino

$6.44 $6.44

$3.81 MX$71.5

69.03%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$1.28 MX$24.07

111.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.78 MX$14.70

162.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 $6.18

$3.17 MX$59.5

94.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.22 $9.22

$4.93 MX$92.7

87.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.41 MX$26.40

-28.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.22 MX$41.62

22.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.42 MX$26.61

59.15%

Eggs

$3.53 $3.53

$2.52 MX$47.36

40.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.57 $16.57

$7.26 MX$136

128.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.78 $10.78

$7.70 MX$144

40.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.55 $18.55

$12.69 MX$238

46.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.78 MX$52.3

75.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.37 MX$25.68

0.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.55 MX$47.89

118.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.12 MX$39.86

117.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.94 MX$36.39

62.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.89 MX$35.41

95.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.15 MX$21.53

94.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.18 MX$22.13

67.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.77 $13.77

$4.30 MX$80.6

220.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.23 $14.23

$9.95 MX$187

43.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.58 MX$29.73

12.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.67 MX$50.1

43.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.55 MX$10.39

260.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.2 $54.2

$26.62 MX$500

103.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 $5.06

$4.97 MX$93.3

1.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 $1.40

$3.33 MX$62.5

-57.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.86 $29.86

$5.36 MX$101

457.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.44 MX$27.11

-34.03%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

32.63%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

10.57%

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

$210 $210

$84.8 MX$1,592

147.40%

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

$69.0 $69.0

$23.41 MX$439

194.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.1 $73.1

$28.66 MX$538

155.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.21 $28.21

$57.1 MX$1,071

-50.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.78 $18.78

$28.91 MX$543

-35.04%

Cinema Ticket

$14.82 $14.82

$5.14 MX$96.5

188.33%

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

$1,516 $1,516

$207 MX$3,878

633.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K $17.2K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

337.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$43.35 MX$814

16.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.37 $39.37

$41.44 MX$778

-5.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$74.2 MX$1,393

53.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$89.3 MX$1,676

21.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 $1,799

$980 MX$18.4K

83.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,705 $1,705

$381 MX$7,150

347.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,427 $2,427

$1,708 MX$32.1K

42.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,501 $2,501

$1,075 MX$20.2K

132.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,499 $2,499

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-36.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,570 $2,570

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-58.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,892 $3,892

$735 MX$13.8K

429.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.28

11.45

-45.15%

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

Last update for Springfield, MA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Springfield, MA

$1.7K 55.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 77.7% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Springfield, MA

$392 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 35.1% $138

Eating Out

Springfield, MA

$371 12%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 45.5% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Springfield, MA

$352 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 61.1% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Springfield, MA

$141 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 20.6% $29

Getting Around

Springfield, MA

$74 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 32% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Springfield, MA

$58 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 16.4% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,799 in Springfield, MA versus $980 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 in Springfield, MA are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Springfield, MA versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Springfield, MA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

Same time as Springfield, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

116,482

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Springfield, MA Playa del Carmen 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Springfield, MA is pricier by about 157%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,640 per month in Springfield, MA 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,799 in Springfield, MA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,093 in Springfield, MA and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 61% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 51% 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 $1,204, than in Springfield, MA at $3,093. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Springfield, MA 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Springfield, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.