Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Summerville, SC and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,315 in Summerville, SC, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Summerville, SC
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Summerville, SC Living Index
58

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

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Summerville, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$3,315

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,315 per month in Summerville, SC vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Summerville, SC $3,315
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,958 per month in Summerville, SC vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Summerville, SC $4,958
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $6,600 per month in Summerville, SC vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Summerville, SC $6,600
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Summerville, SC costs about 175% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Summerville, SC sits 144% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.05 $18.05

$10.92 MX$203

65.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$43.37 MX$805

128.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.02 $12.02

$11.78 MX$219

2.04%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$3.81 MX$70.7

73.23%

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

$3.29 $3.29

$1.28 MX$23.81

157.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.78 MX$14.54

178.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.38 $8.38

$3.17 MX$58.8

164.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 $7.97

$4.93 MX$91.7

61.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.41 MX$26.12

-26.95%

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.22 MX$41.17

97.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$1.42 MX$26.32

361.27%

Eggs

$3.32 $3.32

$2.52 MX$46.85

31.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.53 $15.53

$7.26 MX$135

113.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.89 $24.89

$7.70 MX$143

223.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.40 $23.40

$12.69 MX$236

84.40%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 $7.91

$2.78 MX$51.7

184.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.37 MX$25.41

40.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.78 $8.78

$2.55 MX$47.37

244.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.74 $7.74

$2.12 MX$39.43

265.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.94 MX$36.00

94.85%

Onion (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.89 MX$35.02

140.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.15 MX$21.29

181.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.18 MX$21.89

128.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.32 $11.32

$4.30 MX$79.8

163.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.95 $12.95

$9.95 MX$185

30.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.58 MX$29.41

54.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.67 MX$49.60

-9.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 $0.73

$0.55 MX$10.28

32.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.04 $30.04

$26.62 MX$494

12.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 $5.12

$4.97 MX$92.3

3.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.33 MX$61.9

-54.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.40 $34.40

$5.36 MX$99.5

541.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.44 MX$26.82

-36.81%

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

$30.9K $30.9K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

49.57%

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

$33.2K $33.2K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

41.57%

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

$213 $213

$84.8 MX$1,575

151.37%

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

$98.0 $98.0

$23.41 MX$435

318.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.9 $82.9

$28.66 MX$532

189.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.03 $33.03

$57.1 MX$1,059

-42.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$14.75 $14.75

$5.14 MX$95.4

186.96%

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

$1,476 $1,476

$207 MX$3,836

614.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K $21.7K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

453.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 $55.3

$43.35 MX$805

27.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.57 $42.57

$41.44 MX$770

2.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 $96.9

$74.2 MX$1,378

30.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$89.3 MX$1,657

31.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,153 $2,153

$980 MX$18.2K

119.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 $1,765

$381 MX$7,072

363.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,857 $3,857

$1,708 MX$31.7K

125.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,088 $3,088

$1,075 MX$20.0K

187.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,882 $4,882

$735 MX$13.6K

564.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

11.45

-41.75%

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

Last update for Summerville, SC: 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

Summerville, SC

$1.8K 53.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 78.4% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Summerville, SC

$568 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 55.2% $314

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Summerville, SC

$394 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 65.3% $257

Eating Out

Summerville, SC

$339 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 40.4% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Summerville, SC

$141 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 20.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Summerville, SC

$63 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 7.6% $4.8

Getting Around

Summerville, SC

$46 1.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 10.3% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,153 in Summerville, SC 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 Summerville, SC are about 6.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Summerville, SC versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $568 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Summerville, SC

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

Same time as Summerville, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,738

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 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 November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Summerville, SC Playa del Carmen 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Summerville, SC
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

Summerville, SC vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Summerville, SC is pricier by about 175%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,973 per month in Summerville, SC 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 $2,153 in Summerville, SC.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,315 in Summerville, SC and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 64% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 11% 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 Summerville, SC at $3,315. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Summerville, SC 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, Summerville, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.