Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between University Place, WA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,876 in University Place, WA, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in University Place, WA
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University Place, WA Living Index
57

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

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University Place, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,876

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,876 per month in University Place, WA vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

University Place, WA $2,876
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $4,279 per month in University Place, WA vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

University Place, WA $4,279
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,682 per month in University Place, WA vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

University Place, WA $5,682
Playa del Carmen $2,962

University Place, WA costs about 139% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

University Place, WA sits 113% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.38 $23.38

$10.67 MX$200

119.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$43.80 MX$823

129.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$11.79 MX$221

3.05%

Cappuccino

$6.08 $6.08

$3.79 MX$71.1

60.42%

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

$3.12 $3.12

$1.30 MX$24.36

140.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$0.83 MX$15.65

278.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.93 $7.93

$3.15 MX$59.1

151.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 $7.86

$4.93 MX$92.7

59.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.41 MX$26.46

-21.99%

White Bread (500g)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.20 MX$41.23

84.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$1.47 MX$27.66

304.76%

Eggs

$4.97 $4.97

$2.50 MX$46.89

98.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.11 $16.11

$7.29 MX$137

120.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.19 $18.19

$7.95 MX$149

128.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.33 $23.33

$12.86 MX$242

81.42%

Apples (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$2.90 MX$54.4

103.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.38 MX$25.98

28.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$2.49 MX$46.78

122.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.03 MX$38.12

120.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.02 MX$38.03

72.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.90 MX$35.74

48.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.14 MX$21.49

71.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.24 MX$23.27

146.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.43 $12.43

$4.27 MX$80.2

191.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.17 $18.17

$9.81 MX$184

85.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.59 MX$29.78

10.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.75 MX$51.6

80.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.51 MX$9.67

317.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.8 $65.8

$27.39 MX$514

140.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 $2.66

$4.76 MX$89.4

-44.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$3.25 MX$61.0

-47.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.49 $30.49

$5.39 MX$101

465.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.53 MX$28.70

-5.23%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$21.2K MX$398.4K

31.53%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$23.3K MX$436.9K

13.88%

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

$233 $233

$83.5 MX$1,568

179.10%

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

$68.7 $68.7

$23.19 MX$435

196.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.6 $88.6

$27.61 MX$519

220.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.56 $39.56

$56.4 MX$1,060

-29.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

Cinema Ticket

$17.88 $17.88

$5.00 MX$93.9

257.60%

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

$2,087 $2,087

$207 MX$3,889

907.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K $27.9K

$5,231 MX$98.2K

432.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 $60.3

$43.45 MX$816

38.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.90 $44.90

$42.54 MX$799

5.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 $130

$72.8 MX$1,367

78.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$88.4 MX$1,660

44.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,573 $1,573

$995 MX$18.7K

58.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$382 MX$7,181

234.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,599 $2,599

$1,674 MX$31.4K

55.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 $2,111

$1,081 MX$20.3K

95.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,918 $2,918

$3,909 MX$73.4K

-25.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,644 $2,644

$6,138 MX$115.3K

-56.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,149 $8,149

$832 MX$15.6K

879.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

11.45

-42.01%

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

Last update for University Place, WA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

University Place, WA

$1.3K 44.5%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 70.1% $898

Groceries & Markets

University Place, WA

$505 17.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 49% $247

Monthly Utilities & Internet

University Place, WA

$390 13.6%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 65.6% $256

Eating Out

University Place, WA

$377 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 46.9% $177

Clothing & Footwear

University Place, WA

$163 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 31.8% $52

Getting Around

University Place, WA

$85 3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 40.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

University Place, WA

$75 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 11.8% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,573 in University Place, WA versus $995 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 University Place, WA are about 9.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in University Place, WA versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $505 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 University Place, WA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

23:31 11:31 PM

3 h ahead of University Place, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,866

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

University Place, WA Playa del Carmen 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

University Place, WA
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

University Place, WA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – University Place, WA is pricier by about 139%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,314 per month in University Place, WA and $1,804 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 $995 there versus $1,573 in University Place, WA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,876 in University Place, WA and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 58% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 58% 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 $1,202, than in University Place, WA at $2,876. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in University Place, WA 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, University Place, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.