Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Winston-Salem, NC and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,428 in Winston-Salem, NC, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Winston-Salem, NC
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Winston-Salem, NC Living Index
58

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

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Winston-Salem, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,428

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Winston-Salem, NC 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 Winston-Salem, NC and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,428 per month in Winston-Salem, NC vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Winston-Salem, NC $2,428
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,722 per month in Winston-Salem, NC vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Winston-Salem, NC $3,722
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,016 per month in Winston-Salem, NC vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Winston-Salem, NC $5,016
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Winston-Salem, NC costs about 102% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Winston-Salem, NC sits 78% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.94 $22.94

$10.92 MX$205

110.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 $79.2

$43.37 MX$813

82.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 $10.19

$11.78 MX$221

-13.50%

Cappuccino

$5.36 $5.36

$3.81 MX$71.4

40.68%

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

$2.87 $2.87

$1.28 MX$24.03

124.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.78 MX$14.67

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$3.17 MX$59.3

62.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 $6.13

$4.93 MX$92.5

24.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.41 MX$26.35

2.84%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.22 MX$41.54

113.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$9.80 $9.80

$1.42 MX$26.56

590.14%

Eggs

$5.46 $5.46

$2.52 MX$47.27

116.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.33 $18.33

$7.26 MX$136

152.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.95 $13.95

$7.70 MX$144

81.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.68 $26.68

$12.69 MX$238

110.24%

Apples (1kg)

$7.78 $7.78

$2.78 MX$52.2

179.86%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.37 MX$25.64

127.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.03 $7.03

$2.55 MX$47.80

175.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.42 $7.42

$2.12 MX$39.78

250.00%

Potato (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$1.94 MX$36.32

153.09%

Onion (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$1.89 MX$35.34

219.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.15 MX$21.49

140.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$1.18 MX$22.09

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.95 $8.95

$4.30 MX$80.5

108.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.82 $14.82

$9.95 MX$186

48.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.58 MX$29.67

1.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.67 MX$50.1

72.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.55 MX$10.37

85.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.70 $29.70

$26.62 MX$499

11.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.85 $6.85

$4.97 MX$93.1

37.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 $2.24

$3.33 MX$62.4

-32.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.85 $14.85

$5.36 MX$100

177.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.44 MX$27.06

-34.72%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

43.66%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

11.53%

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

$176 $176

$84.8 MX$1,589

107.14%

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

$51.7 $51.7

$23.41 MX$439

120.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.9 $62.9

$28.66 MX$537

119.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.52 $35.52

$57.1 MX$1,069

-37.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.77 $15.77

$28.91 MX$542

-45.45%

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 $11.79

$5.14 MX$96.3

129.38%

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

$1,279 $1,279

$207 MX$3,871

519.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,829 $9,829

$3,927 MX$73.6K

150.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.64 $38.64

$43.35 MX$812

-10.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.00 $31.00

$41.44 MX$777

-25.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 $84.4

$74.2 MX$1,390

13.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 $95.5

$89.3 MX$1,672

6.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 $1,501

$980 MX$18.4K

53.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 $1,001

$381 MX$7,136

162.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,667 $2,667

$1,708 MX$32.0K

56.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,761 $1,761

$1,075 MX$20.1K

63.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,103 $5,103

$3,943 MX$73.9K

29.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,693 $2,693

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-56.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,714 $3,714

$735 MX$13.8K

405.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

11.45

-41.66%

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

Last update for Winston-Salem, NC: October 26, 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

Winston-Salem, NC

$1K 41.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 62% $620

Groceries & Markets

Winston-Salem, NC

$578 23.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 55.9% $323

Eating Out

Winston-Salem, NC

$336 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 39.7% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Winston-Salem, NC

$290 12%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 52.8% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Winston-Salem, NC

$112 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 0.5% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Winston-Salem, NC

$59 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 13.9% $8.2

Getting Around

Winston-Salem, NC

$52 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2.6% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,501 in Winston-Salem, NC 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 Winston-Salem, NC are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Winston-Salem, NC versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $578 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Winston-Salem, NC

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

Same time as Winston-Salem, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,218

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Winston-Salem, NC Playa del Carmen 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Winston-Salem, NC
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

Winston-Salem, NC vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Winston-Salem, NC is pricier by about 102%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,642 per month in Winston-Salem, NC 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 $1,501 in Winston-Salem, NC.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,428 in Winston-Salem, NC and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 50% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 10% 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 Winston-Salem, NC at $2,428. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Winston-Salem, NC 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, Winston-Salem, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.