Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,296 in Union, SC, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Union, SC
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Union, SC Living Index
59

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

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Union, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,296

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,296 per month in Union, SC vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Union, SC $2,296
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,597 per month in Union, SC vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Union, SC $3,597
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,897 per month in Union, SC vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Union, SC $4,897
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Union, SC costs about 91% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Union, SC sits 69% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.15 $9.15

$10.86 MX$201

-15.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$44.21 MX$817

123.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.51 $8.51

$11.76 MX$217

-27.64%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$3.68 MX$68.0

62.50%

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

$2.33 $2.33

$1.34 MX$24.79

73.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.82 MX$15.24

136.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.06 MX$56.6

-8.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$4.94 MX$91.2

-30.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.47 MX$27.17

-27.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.22 MX$40.95

46.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.48 MX$27.32

65.54%

Eggs

$3.30 $3.30

$2.49 MX$45.99

32.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 $8.96

$7.52 MX$139

19.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.31 $13.31

$7.96 MX$147

67.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 $14.71

$12.57 MX$232

17.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.78 MX$51.3

1.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.43 MX$26.37

-8.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.62 MX$48.37

23.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.14 MX$39.49

107.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$2.02 MX$37.38

17.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.99 MX$36.74

6.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.14 MX$21.01

53.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.20 MX$22.18

7.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 $8.35

$4.26 MX$78.7

96.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$10.02 MX$185

-12.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.54 MX$28.41

16.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 $5.16

$2.66 MX$49.17

93.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.53 MX$9.73

294.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 $4.62

$4.90 MX$90.6

-5.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.43 MX$63.5

-11.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.96 $34.96

$5.38 MX$99.4

549.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.45 MX$26.76

-37.24%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

32.21%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

9.66%

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

$177 $177

$85.4 MX$1,577

107.43%

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

$64.9 $64.9

$23.46 MX$434

176.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.72 $45.72

$28.43 MX$525

60.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.73 $41.73

$62.2 MX$1,149

-32.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 $13.17

$5.10 MX$94.3

158.24%

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

$2,585 $2,585

$201 MX$3,715

1185.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

482.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.21 $47.21

$44.39 MX$820

6.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.96 $20.96

$41.35 MX$764

-49.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 $85.6

$72.7 MX$1,344

17.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.0 $99.0

$89.6 MX$1,656

10.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 $1,390

$979 MX$18.1K

41.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,259 $1,259

$373 MX$6,887

237.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,203 $2,203

$1,681 MX$31.1K

31.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,419 $2,419

$1,095 MX$20.2K

120.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,700 $2,700

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-31.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,125 $2,125

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-65.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,496 $2,496

$738 MX$13.6K

238.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-65.07%

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

Last update for Union, SC: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Union, SC

$1.3K 54.8%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 70.4% $886

Groceries & Markets

Union, SC

$332 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 22.1% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Union, SC

$288 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 52.3% $150

Eating Out

Union, SC

$208 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 3.9% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Union, SC

$114 5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 1.8% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Union, SC

$68 3%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 6.4% $4.3

Getting Around

Union, SC

$28 * 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 84.1% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,390 in Union, SC versus $979 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 run about 238% higher in Union, SC, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Union, SC versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Union, SC

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

1 h behind Union, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Union, SC Playa del Carmen 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Union, 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

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

Yes – Union, SC is pricier by about 91%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,444 per month in Union, 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,296 in Union, SC and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 91%.

Kindergarten costs $2,585 per month in Union, SC and $201 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 Union, SC at $2,296. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Union, 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Union, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.