Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thornton, CO and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,887 in Thornton, CO, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Thornton, CO
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Thornton, CO Living Index
58

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

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Thornton, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,887

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,887 per month in Thornton, CO vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Thornton, CO $2,887
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,977 per month in Thornton, CO vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Thornton, CO $3,977
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,068 per month in Thornton, CO vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Thornton, CO $5,068
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Thornton, CO costs about 140% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Thornton, CO sits 112% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.21 $20.21

$10.92 MX$204

85.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.0 $84.0

$43.37 MX$808

93.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.03 $13.03

$11.78 MX$220

10.61%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$3.81 MX$71.0

54.86%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$1.28 MX$23.90

134.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.78 MX$14.59

191.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.17 MX$59.0

124.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.93 MX$92.0

63.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.41 MX$26.22

-24.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.22 MX$41.33

45.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$1.42 MX$26.42

202.11%

Eggs

$5.10 $5.10

$2.52 MX$47.03

102.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.77 $14.77

$7.26 MX$135

103.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.72 $13.72

$7.70 MX$143

78.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 $19.16

$12.69 MX$237

50.99%

Apples (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$2.78 MX$51.9

89.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.37 MX$25.50

57.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$2.55 MX$47.55

76.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.12 MX$39.58

119.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.94 MX$36.13

36.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.89 MX$35.16

32.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.15 MX$21.37

108.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.18 MX$21.98

105.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.20 $10.20

$4.30 MX$80.1

137.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.18 $19.18

$9.95 MX$185

92.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.58 MX$29.52

75.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.67 MX$49.79

78.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$4.97 MX$92.6

-31.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$3.33 MX$62.1

-58.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.76 $24.76

$5.36 MX$99.8

361.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.44 MX$26.92

-28.47%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

38.07%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

11.50%

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

$165 $165

$84.8 MX$1,581

94.43%

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

$77.5 $77.5

$23.41 MX$436

231.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.6 $86.6

$28.66 MX$534

202.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 $55.7

$57.1 MX$1,063

-2.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.96 $9.96

$28.91 MX$539

-65.55%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$5.14 MX$95.8

192.22%

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

$1,579 $1,579

$207 MX$3,851

664.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K $24.7K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

528.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 $58.3

$43.35 MX$808

34.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.21 $39.21

$41.44 MX$772

-5.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 $83.1

$74.2 MX$1,383

11.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$89.3 MX$1,664

39.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,743 $1,743

$980 MX$18.3K

77.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,535 $1,535

$381 MX$7,099

303.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,628 $2,628

$1,708 MX$31.8K

53.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,029 $2,029

$1,075 MX$20.0K

88.77%

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)

$5,576 $5,576

$735 MX$13.7K

659.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

11.45

-41.31%

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

Last update for Thornton, CO: 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

Thornton, CO

$1.5K 53.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 75.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Thornton, CO

$445 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 42.8% $190

Eating Out

Thornton, CO

$344 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 41.2% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thornton, CO

$329 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 58.4% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Thornton, CO

$137 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 18.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Thornton, CO

$86 3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 21.4% $18

Getting Around

Thornton, CO

$10 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 387% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,743 in Thornton, CO 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 Thornton, CO are about 7.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Thornton, CO versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $445 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Thornton, CO

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

17:18 5:18 PM

1 h ahead of Thornton, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,478

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

Thornton, CO Playa del Carmen 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Thornton, CO
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

Thornton, CO vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Thornton, CO is pricier by about 140%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,330 per month in Thornton, CO 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 $1,743 in Thornton, CO.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,887 in Thornton, CO and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 58% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,579 per month in Thornton, CO 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 Thornton, CO at $2,887. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thornton, CO 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, Thornton, CO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.