Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Texarkana, TX and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,997 in Texarkana, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Texarkana, TX
Learn more

Texarkana, TX Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Texarkana, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,997

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,997 per month in Texarkana, TX vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Texarkana, TX $1,997
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,898 per month in Texarkana, TX vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Texarkana, TX $2,898
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,799 per month in Texarkana, TX vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Texarkana, TX $3,799
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Texarkana, TX costs about 66% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Texarkana, TX sits 47% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.14 $18.14

$10.92 MX$204

66.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 $50.3

$43.37 MX$808

15.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.83 $9.83

$11.78 MX$220

-16.55%

Cappuccino

$6.12 $6.12

$3.81 MX$71.0

60.63%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$1.28 MX$23.90

123.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.78 MX$14.59

212.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 $5.45

$3.17 MX$59.0

71.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.96 $7.96

$4.93 MX$92.0

61.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 $0.62

$1.41 MX$26.22

-56.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.22 MX$41.33

36.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$1.42 MX$26.42

184.51%

Eggs

$3.73 $3.73

$2.52 MX$47.03

48.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.00 $9.00

$7.26 MX$135

23.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.55 $8.55

$7.70 MX$143

11.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.20 $12.20

$12.69 MX$237

-3.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.78 MX$51.9

31.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.37 MX$25.50

-3.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$2.55 MX$47.55

-31.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.12 MX$39.58

122.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.94 MX$36.13

-31.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.89 MX$35.16

28.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.15 MX$21.37

56.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.18 MX$21.98

38.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.30 MX$80.1

129.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.68 $20.68

$9.95 MX$185

107.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.58 MX$29.52

26.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.67 MX$49.79

-44.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$4.97 MX$92.6

-39.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$3.33 MX$62.1

-46.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.58 $23.58

$5.36 MX$99.8

339.93%

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)

$36.3K $36.3K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

75.56%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

13.10%

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

$211 $211

$84.8 MX$1,581

148.26%

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

$93.4 $93.4

$23.41 MX$436

298.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.2 $83.2

$28.66 MX$534

190.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.0 $70.0

$57.1 MX$1,063

22.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$15.24 $15.24

$5.14 MX$95.8

196.50%

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

$1,909 $1,909

$207 MX$3,851

824.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K $27.6K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

603.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.0 $60.0

$43.35 MX$808

38.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.44 $49.44

$41.44 MX$772

19.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 $123

$74.2 MX$1,383

65.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 $130

$89.3 MX$1,664

45.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 $829

$980 MX$18.3K

-15.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 $702

$381 MX$7,099

84.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 $1,288

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-24.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 $1,135

$1,075 MX$20.0K

5.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,460 $1,460

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-62.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,413 $1,413

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-77.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,290 $3,290

$735 MX$13.7K

347.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

11.45

-42.18%

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

Last update for Texarkana, TX: 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

Texarkana, TX

$702 35.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 45.7% $321

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Texarkana, TX

$387 19.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 64.6% $250

Groceries & Markets

Texarkana, TX

$321 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 20.5% $66

Eating Out

Texarkana, TX

$312 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 35.2% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Texarkana, TX

$163 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 31.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Texarkana, TX

$100 5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 33% $33

Getting Around

Texarkana, TX

$12 * 0.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 324% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $829 in Texarkana, 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 Texarkana, TX are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Texarkana, TX versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $321 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Texarkana, TX

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

Same time as Texarkana, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,193

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Texarkana, TX Playa del Carmen 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Texarkana, 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

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

Yes – Texarkana, TX is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,995 per month in Texarkana, 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 Texarkana, TX, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $829 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,997 in Texarkana, TX and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 40% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,909 per month in Texarkana, 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 Texarkana, TX at $1,997. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Texarkana, TX 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 $1,997 in Texarkana, TX. 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, Texarkana, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.