Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wilmington, DE and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,557 in Wilmington, DE, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Wilmington, DE
Learn more

Wilmington, DE Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Wilmington, DE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,557

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,557 per month in Wilmington, DE vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wilmington, DE $2,557
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,433 per month in Wilmington, DE vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wilmington, DE $3,433
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,309 per month in Wilmington, DE vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wilmington, DE $4,309
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Wilmington, DE costs about 113% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Wilmington, DE sits 89% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.04 $20.04

$10.67 MX$200

87.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.8 $74.8

$43.80 MX$819

70.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.30 $10.30

$11.79 MX$220

-12.64%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$3.79 MX$70.8

30.61%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$1.30 MX$24.26

68.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 $1.31

$0.83 MX$15.59

57.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 $4.05

$3.15 MX$58.9

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 $6.13

$4.93 MX$92.3

24.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.41 MX$26.35

-19.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.20 MX$41.07

39.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.47 MX$27.54

87.76%

Eggs

$3.08 $3.08

$2.50 MX$46.70

23.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$7.29 MX$136

27.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.50 $8.50

$7.95 MX$149

6.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.58 $14.58

$12.86 MX$241

13.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$2.90 MX$54.2

59.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.38 MX$25.87

-4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.49 MX$46.59

78.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.03 MX$37.97

88.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.02 MX$37.88

25.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.90 MX$35.60

29.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.14 MX$21.41

78.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.24 MX$23.17

-20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.92 $9.92

$4.27 MX$79.9

132.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.96 $12.96

$9.81 MX$184

32.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.59 MX$29.66

52.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.75 MX$51.3

34.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.51 MX$9.63

301.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.2 $60.2

$27.39 MX$512

119.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 $3.89

$4.76 MX$89.1

-18.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$3.25 MX$60.8

-51.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.47 $27.47

$5.39 MX$101

409.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.53 MX$28.58

-30.72%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$21.2K MX$396.8K

28.59%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$23.3K MX$435.1K

10.21%

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

$270 $270

$83.5 MX$1,562

223.31%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$23.19 MX$434

118.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 $59.8

$27.61 MX$516

116.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.69 $24.69

$56.4 MX$1,056

-56.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.19 $15.19

$28.19 MX$527

-46.12%

Cinema Ticket

$11.87 $11.87

$5.00 MX$93.5

137.40%

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

$1,605 $1,605

$207 MX$3,873

674.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.7K $25.7K

$5,231 MX$97.8K

391.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.92 $36.92

$43.45 MX$813

-15.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.59 $47.59

$42.54 MX$796

11.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 $84.1

$72.8 MX$1,361

15.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 $90.8

$88.4 MX$1,653

2.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,729 $1,729

$995 MX$18.6K

73.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 $1,308

$382 MX$7,152

242.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,728 $2,728

$1,674 MX$31.3K

62.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 $1,613

$1,081 MX$20.2K

49.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,215 $2,215

$3,909 MX$73.1K

-43.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,081 $2,081

$6,138 MX$114.8K

-66.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,946 $3,946

$832 MX$15.6K

374.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.3

11.45

-44.98%

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

Last update for Wilmington, DE: November 1, 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

Wilmington, DE

$1.3K 51.2%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 70.8% $926

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wilmington, DE

$380 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 64.7% $246

Groceries & Markets

Wilmington, DE

$325 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 20.9% $68

Eating Out

Wilmington, DE

$297 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 32.6% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Wilmington, DE

$117 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 4.7% $5.5

Getting Around

Wilmington, DE

$80 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 37.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Wilmington, DE

$48 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 37.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,729 in Wilmington, DE 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 Wilmington, DE are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Wilmington, DE versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wilmington, DE

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

Same time as Wilmington, DE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,826

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wilmington, DE Playa del Carmen 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Wilmington, DE
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

Wilmington, DE vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Wilmington, DE is pricier by about 113%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,835 per month in Wilmington, DE 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 $1,729 in Wilmington, DE.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,557 in Wilmington, DE and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 53% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 55% 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 Wilmington, DE at $2,557. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wilmington, DE 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, Wilmington, DE makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.