Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sugar Land, TX and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,235 in Sugar Land, TX, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Sugar Land, TX
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Sugar Land, TX Living Index
58

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

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Sugar Land, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,235

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,235 per month in Sugar Land, TX vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sugar Land, TX $2,235
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,321 per month in Sugar Land, TX vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sugar Land, TX $3,321
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,407 per month in Sugar Land, TX vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sugar Land, TX $4,407
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Sugar Land, TX costs about 86% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sugar Land, TX sits 64% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.18 $20.18

$10.92 MX$204

84.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$43.37 MX$808

73.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 $11.04

$11.78 MX$220

-6.28%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$3.81 MX$71.0

41.73%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$1.28 MX$23.90

106.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.78 MX$14.59

198.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.82 $5.82

$3.17 MX$59.0

83.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$4.93 MX$92.0

60.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.41 MX$26.22

-21.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.22 MX$41.33

45.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.42 MX$26.42

124.65%

Eggs

$3.97 $3.97

$2.52 MX$47.03

57.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 $11.48

$7.26 MX$135

58.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.67 $12.67

$7.70 MX$143

64.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.99 $15.99

$12.69 MX$237

26.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$2.78 MX$51.9

66.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.37 MX$25.50

2.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.55 MX$47.55

16.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.12 MX$39.58

83.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.94 MX$36.13

8.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.89 MX$35.16

20.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.15 MX$21.37

52.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.18 MX$21.98

82.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.16 $10.16

$4.30 MX$80.1

136.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.34 $14.34

$9.95 MX$185

44.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.58 MX$29.52

61.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.67 MX$49.79

11.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$4.97 MX$92.6

-43.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$3.33 MX$62.1

-57.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.88 $23.88

$5.36 MX$99.8

345.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.44 MX$26.92

-36.81%

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

$34.7K $34.7K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

67.68%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

14.48%

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

$199 $199

$84.8 MX$1,581

134.26%

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

$57.5 $57.5

$23.41 MX$436

145.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$28.66 MX$534

145.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.85 $39.85

$57.1 MX$1,063

-30.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$14.15 $14.15

$5.14 MX$95.8

175.29%

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

$1,466 $1,466

$207 MX$3,851

609.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

446.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.52 $49.52

$43.35 MX$808

14.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$41.44 MX$772

3.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$74.2 MX$1,383

14.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 $94.0

$89.3 MX$1,664

5.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 $1,366

$980 MX$18.3K

39.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 $1,013

$381 MX$7,099

165.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 $2,036

$1,708 MX$31.8K

19.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 $1,714

$1,075 MX$20.0K

59.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,830 $1,830

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-53.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,829 $1,829

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-70.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,209 $7,209

$735 MX$13.7K

881.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

11.45

-41.48%

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

Last update for Sugar Land, TX: October 24, 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

Sugar Land, TX

$1K 45.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 62.4% $632

Groceries & Markets

Sugar Land, TX

$372 16.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 31.5% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sugar Land, TX

$327 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 58.1% $190

Eating Out

Sugar Land, TX

$324 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 37.6% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Sugar Land, TX

$122 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 8.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Sugar Land, TX

$68 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 1.2% $0.8

Getting Around

Sugar Land, TX

$9.9 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 412% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,366 in Sugar Land, TX 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 Sugar Land, TX are about 9.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Sugar Land, TX versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sugar Land, TX

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:04 2:04 PM

Same time as Sugar Land, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,943

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 →

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Between locations

Sugar Land, TX Playa del Carmen 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sugar Land, TX
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

Sugar Land, TX vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sugar Land, TX is pricier by about 86%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,353 per month in Sugar Land, TX 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 $1,366 in Sugar Land, TX.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,235 in Sugar Land, TX and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 86%.

Kindergarten costs $1,466 per month in Sugar Land, TX 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 Sugar Land, TX at $2,235. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sugar Land, TX 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, Sugar Land, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.