Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suffolk, VA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,182 in Suffolk, VA, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Suffolk, VA
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Suffolk, VA Living Index
58

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

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Suffolk, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,182

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,182 per month in Suffolk, VA vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Suffolk, VA $2,182
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,193 per month in Suffolk, VA vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Suffolk, VA $3,193
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,203 per month in Suffolk, VA vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Suffolk, VA $4,203
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Suffolk, VA costs about 81% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Suffolk, VA sits 60% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.34 $20.34

$10.92 MX$204

86.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 $79.5

$43.37 MX$808

83.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$11.78 MX$220

3.74%

Cappuccino

$4.53 $4.53

$3.81 MX$71.0

18.90%

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

$2.01 $2.01

$1.28 MX$23.90

57.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.78 MX$14.59

160.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.17 MX$59.0

28.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 $5.33

$4.93 MX$92.0

8.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.41 MX$26.22

-23.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.22 MX$41.33

4.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.42 MX$26.42

89.44%

Eggs

$3.93 $3.93

$2.52 MX$47.03

55.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.14 $16.14

$7.26 MX$135

122.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$7.70 MX$143

-30.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 $17.76

$12.69 MX$237

39.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.78 MX$51.9

44.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.37 MX$25.50

-23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.55 MX$47.55

-23.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$2.12 MX$39.58

111.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.94 MX$36.13

32.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.89 MX$35.16

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.15 MX$21.37

47.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.18 MX$21.98

163.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.36 $9.36

$4.30 MX$80.1

117.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.70 $14.70

$9.95 MX$185

47.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.58 MX$29.52

6.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.67 MX$49.79

43.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 $3.93

$4.97 MX$92.6

-20.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.33 MX$62.1

-40.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.85 $24.85

$5.36 MX$99.8

363.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.44 MX$26.92

-40.97%

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

$29.8K $29.8K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

44.34%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

9.82%

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

$148 $148

$84.8 MX$1,581

74.25%

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

$52.6 $52.6

$23.41 MX$436

124.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.6 $79.6

$28.66 MX$534

177.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$15.04 $15.04

$5.14 MX$95.8

192.61%

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

$878 $878

$207 MX$3,851

325.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.91 $46.91

$43.35 MX$808

8.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.44 $48.44

$41.44 MX$772

16.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$74.2 MX$1,383

35.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$89.3 MX$1,664

52.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 $1,234

$980 MX$18.3K

25.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 $1,061

$381 MX$7,099

178.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,043 $2,043

$1,708 MX$31.8K

19.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,651 $1,651

$1,075 MX$20.0K

53.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,689 $4,689

$735 MX$13.7K

538.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.68

11.45

-50.39%

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

Last update for Suffolk, VA: October 26, 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

Suffolk, VA

$1.1K 48.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 64.1% $681

Groceries & Markets

Suffolk, VA

$347 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 26.6% $92

Eating Out

Suffolk, VA

$301 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 32.7% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suffolk, VA

$280 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 51.1% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Suffolk, VA

$149 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 25.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Suffolk, VA

$30 * 1.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 124% $37

Getting Around

Suffolk, VA

$14 * 0.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 265% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,234 in Suffolk, VA 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 Suffolk, VA are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Suffolk, VA versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $347 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Suffolk, VA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:36 5:36 PM

16:36 4:36 PM

1 h behind Suffolk, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,324

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Suffolk, VA Playa del Carmen 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Suffolk, VA
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

Suffolk, VA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Suffolk, VA is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,274 per month in Suffolk, VA 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 $1,234 in Suffolk, VA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,182 in Suffolk, VA and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 45% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $878 per month in Suffolk, VA 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 Suffolk, VA at $2,182. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Suffolk, VA 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, Suffolk, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.