Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Starkville, MS and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,787 in Starkville, MS, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Starkville, MS
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Starkville, MS Living Index
58

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

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Starkville, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,787

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,787 per month in Starkville, MS vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Starkville, MS $1,787
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,731 per month in Starkville, MS vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Starkville, MS $2,731
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,676 per month in Starkville, MS vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Starkville, MS $3,676
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Starkville, MS costs about 48% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Starkville, MS sits 31% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.92 $14.92

$10.92 MX$203

36.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 $60.2

$43.37 MX$808

38.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 $8.35

$11.78 MX$219

-29.12%

Cappuccino

$4.19 $4.19

$3.81 MX$71.0

9.97%

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

$2.37 $2.37

$1.28 MX$23.89

85.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.78 MX$14.58

135.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.17 MX$59.0

29.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 $6.98

$4.93 MX$91.9

41.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.41 MX$26.20

-38.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.22 MX$41.30

43.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.42 MX$26.40

84.51%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$2.52 MX$47.00

67.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.77 $9.77

$7.26 MX$135

34.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 $11.62

$7.70 MX$143

50.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 $15.00

$12.69 MX$236

18.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.78 MX$51.9

38.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.37 MX$25.49

1.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.55 MX$47.52

29.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.12 MX$39.55

43.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.94 MX$36.11

10.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.89 MX$35.13

19.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.15 MX$21.36

90.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.18 MX$21.96

63.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.43 $8.43

$4.30 MX$80.0

96.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.86 $9.86

$9.95 MX$185

-0.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.58 MX$29.50

9.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.67 MX$49.76

17.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.18 $4.18

$4.97 MX$92.6

-15.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$3.33 MX$62.1

-43.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.65 $32.65

$5.36 MX$99.8

509.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.44 MX$26.90

-40.28%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

45.06%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

8.49%

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

$168 $168

$84.8 MX$1,580

98.58%

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

$29.80 $29.80

$23.41 MX$436

27.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 $53.7

$28.66 MX$534

87.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.46 $17.46

$57.1 MX$1,063

-69.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$8.04 $8.04

$5.14 MX$95.7

56.42%

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

$1,567 $1,567

$207 MX$3,848

658.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,234 $8,234

$3,927 MX$73.2K

109.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.9 $74.9

$43.35 MX$808

72.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.5 $53.5

$41.44 MX$772

29.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 $87.6

$74.2 MX$1,382

18.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 $171

$89.3 MX$1,663

91.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 $946

$980 MX$18.2K

-3.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 $735

$381 MX$7,095

92.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 $1,536

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-10.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,344 $1,344

$1,075 MX$20.0K

25.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,185 $2,185

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-44.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,184 $2,184

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-64.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,153 $4,153

$735 MX$13.7K

465.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

11.45

-41.92%

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

Last update for Starkville, MS: 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

Starkville, MS

$735 41.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 48.2% $354

Groceries & Markets

Starkville, MS

$334 18.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 23.7% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Starkville, MS

$252 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 45.7% $115

Eating Out

Starkville, MS

$246 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 17.7% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Starkville, MS

$174 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 35.8% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Starkville, MS

$34 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 101% $34

Getting Around

Starkville, MS

$14 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 273% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $946 in Starkville, MS 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 Starkville, MS are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Starkville, MS versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Starkville, MS

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:01 4:01 AM

Same time as Starkville, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,638

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Starkville, MS Playa del Carmen 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Starkville, MS
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

Starkville, MS vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Starkville, MS is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,681 per month in Starkville, MS and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $946 in Starkville, MS and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,787 in Starkville, MS and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 33% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,567 per month in Starkville, MS and $207 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 Starkville, MS at $1,787. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Starkville, MS it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,787 in Starkville, MS. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Starkville, MS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.