Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ada, OK and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,734 in Ada, OK, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Ada, OK
🇺🇸 United States
$1,734
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,734 in Ada, OK versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Ada, OK $1,734
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,592 in Ada, OK versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Ada, OK $2,592
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,449 in Ada, OK versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Ada, OK $3,449
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Ada, OK is roughly 44% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ada, OK is 28% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ada, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.18 $18.18
$10.86 MX$201
67.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.8 $50.8
$44.21 MX$817
15.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.92 $11.92
$11.76 MX$217
1.36%
Cappuccino
$4.10 $4.10
$3.68 MX$68.0
11.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 $2.43
$1.34 MX$24.79
81.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 $1.96
$0.82 MX$15.24
139.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 $3.06
$3.06 MX$56.6
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.44 $4.44
$4.94 MX$91.2
-10.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ada, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.92 $0.92
$1.47 MX$27.17
-37.41%
White Bread (500g)
$3.23 $3.23
$2.22 MX$40.95
45.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.44 $3.44
$1.48 MX$27.32
132.43%
Eggs
$3.70 $3.70
$2.49 MX$45.99
48.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.43 $6.43
$7.52 MX$139
-14.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.61 $11.61
$7.96 MX$147
45.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.40 $20.40
$12.57 MX$232
62.29%
Apples (1kg)
$4.76 $4.76
$2.78 MX$51.3
71.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 $1.62
$1.43 MX$26.37
13.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.56 $3.56
$2.62 MX$48.37
35.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.57 $4.57
$2.14 MX$39.49
113.55%
Potato (1kg)
$1.42 $1.42
$2.02 MX$37.38
-29.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 $1.62
$1.99 MX$36.74
-18.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.65 $1.65
$1.14 MX$21.01
44.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 $0.98
$1.20 MX$22.18
-18.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.10 $6.10
$4.26 MX$78.7
43.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.10 $15.10
$10.02 MX$185
50.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.05 $2.05
$1.54 MX$28.41
33.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28 $3.28
$2.66 MX$49.17
23.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Ada, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.53 MX$9.73
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.51 MX$508
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.05 $3.05
$4.90 MX$90.6
-37.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.70 $1.70
$3.43 MX$63.5
-50.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.24 $24.24
$5.38 MX$99.4
350.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.85 $0.85
$1.45 MX$26.76
-41.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.3K $36.3K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
71.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.6K $25.6K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
11.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ada, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$211 $211
$85.4 MX$1,577
147.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$79.5 $79.5
$23.46 MX$434
238.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$81.4 $81.4
$28.43 MX$525
186.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ada, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.77 $34.77
$62.2 MX$1,149
-44.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.68 MX$530
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.66 $11.66
$5.10 MX$94.3
128.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ada, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,906 $1,906
$201 MX$3,715
848.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$27.9K $27.9K
$3,947 MX$72.9K
606.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ada, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.17 $44.17
$44.39 MX$820
-0.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.09 $49.09
$41.35 MX$764
18.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.2 $91.2
$72.7 MX$1,344
25.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 $106
$89.6 MX$1,656
18.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ada, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$636 $636
$979 MX$18.1K
-35.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$538 $538
$373 MX$6,887
44.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,017 $1,017
$1,681 MX$31.1K
-39.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$947 $947
$1,095 MX$20.2K
-13.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,461 $1,461
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-63.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,435 $1,435
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-76.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ada, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$738 MX$13.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.62
11.45
-42.18%

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

Last update for Ada, OK: 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
Ada, OK
$538
Playa del Carmen
$373 30.7% $165
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ada, OK
$372
Playa del Carmen
$137 63.1% $234
Groceries & Markets
Ada, OK
$352
Playa del Carmen
$258 26.6% $94
Eating Out
Ada, OK
$272
Playa del Carmen
$200 26.4% $72
Clothing & Footwear
Ada, OK
$131
Playa del Carmen
$112 14.6% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Ada, OK
$58
Playa del Carmen
$72 24.6% $14
Getting Around
Ada, OK
$12 *
Playa del Carmen
$52 348% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $636 in Ada, OK and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $51.0 in Ada, OK vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Ada, OK
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
06:39 6:39 AM
06:39 6:39 AM
Same time as Ada, OK
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
17,000
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ada, OK Playa del Carmen 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Ada, OK
  • 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
Ada, OK vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ada, OK and in Playa del Carmen?
Ada, OK and Playa del Carmen differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,734 vs $1,204 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Ada, OK compared to Playa del Carmen?
You'd need roughly $2,601 in Ada, OK and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Ada, OK and in Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $636 in Ada, OK versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Ada, OK. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ada, OK or Playa del Carmen?
All in, you'll spend $1,734 per month in Ada, OK versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,734 in Ada, OK, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Ada, OK. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ada, OK and Playa del Carmen?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Where should expats move: Ada, OK or Playa del Carmen?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Ada, OK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Ada, OK vs other spots: cost of living compared

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