Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Urbandale, IA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,310 in Urbandale, IA, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Urbandale, IA
Learn more

Urbandale, IA Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Urbandale, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,310

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,310 per month in Urbandale, IA vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Urbandale, IA $2,310
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,374 per month in Urbandale, IA vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Urbandale, IA $3,374
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,437 per month in Urbandale, IA vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Urbandale, IA $4,437
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Urbandale, IA costs about 92% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Urbandale, IA sits 70% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.86 $14.86

$10.86 MX$201

36.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 $50.9

$44.21 MX$817

15.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 $9.96

$11.76 MX$217

-15.31%

Cappuccino

$4.97 $4.97

$3.68 MX$68.0

35.05%

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

$1.21 $1.21

$1.34 MX$24.79

-9.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.82 MX$15.24

20.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 $5.15

$3.06 MX$56.6

68.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.58 $7.58

$4.94 MX$91.2

53.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.47 MX$27.17

-31.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.22 MX$40.95

46.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$1.48 MX$27.32

159.46%

Eggs

$2.05 $2.05

$2.49 MX$45.99

-17.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.07 $14.07

$7.52 MX$139

87.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 $9.88

$7.96 MX$147

24.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 $13.88

$12.57 MX$232

10.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.78 MX$51.3

15.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.43 MX$26.37

12.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.62 MX$48.37

32.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.14 MX$39.49

53.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.02 MX$37.38

52.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.99 MX$36.74

69.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.14 MX$21.01

87.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.20 MX$22.18

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.26 MX$78.7

91.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.04 $12.04

$10.02 MX$185

20.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.54 MX$28.41

18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$2.66 MX$49.17

-29.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.53 MX$9.73

286.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 $66.0

$27.51 MX$508

139.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$4.90 MX$90.6

-49.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 $1.20

$3.43 MX$63.5

-65.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.2 $60.2

$5.38 MX$99.4

1019.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.45 MX$26.76

-32.41%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

63.35%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

11.31%

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

$140 $140

$85.4 MX$1,577

63.62%

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

$14.79 $14.79

$23.46 MX$434

-36.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.01 $25.01

$28.43 MX$525

-12.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.57 $35.57

$62.2 MX$1,149

-42.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 $20.34

$28.68 MX$530

-29.08%

Cinema Ticket

$14.81 $14.81

$5.10 MX$94.3

190.39%

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

$1,164 $1,164

$201 MX$3,715

479.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K $20.7K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

424.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 $61.3

$44.39 MX$820

38.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.96 $21.96

$41.35 MX$764

-46.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.54 $45.54

$72.7 MX$1,344

-37.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 $75.1

$89.6 MX$1,656

-16.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 $933

$979 MX$18.1K

-4.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 $1,290

$373 MX$6,887

246.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 $1,237

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-26.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 $2,164

$1,095 MX$20.2K

97.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,777 $2,777

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-29.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,710 $2,710

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-55.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,637 $3,637

$738 MX$13.6K

393.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

11.45

-42.71%

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

Last update for Urbandale, IA: October 19, 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

Urbandale, IA

$1.3K 55.9%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 71.1% $918

Groceries & Markets

Urbandale, IA

$342 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 24.5% $84

Eating Out

Urbandale, IA

$258 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 22.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Urbandale, IA

$179 7.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 23.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Urbandale, IA

$92 4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 21.7% $20

Getting Around

Urbandale, IA

$83 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 37.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Urbandale, IA

$65 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 11% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $933 in Urbandale, IA 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 393% higher in Urbandale, IA, 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 $51.0 in Urbandale, IA versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Urbandale, IA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

Same time as Urbandale, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,580

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Urbandale, IA Playa del Carmen 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Urbandale, IA
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

Urbandale, IA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Urbandale, IA is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,465 per month in Urbandale, IA 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 $2,310 in Urbandale, IA and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 92%.

Public transport costs about 140% 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 Urbandale, IA at $2,310. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Urbandale, IA 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Urbandale, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.