Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Akron, OH and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,222 in Akron, OH, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Akron, OH
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Akron, OH Living Index
58

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

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Akron, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,222

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,222 in Akron, OH versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Akron, OH $2,222
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,373 in Akron, OH versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Akron, OH $3,373
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,525 in Akron, OH versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Akron, OH $4,525
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Akron, OH is roughly 84% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Akron, OH is 63% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.07 $17.07

$10.92 MX$205

56.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 $74.1

$43.37 MX$814

70.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 $9.96

$11.78 MX$221

-15.45%

Cappuccino

$3.79 $3.79

$3.81 MX$71.5

-0.52%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$1.28 MX$24.07

67.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.78 MX$14.70

103.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.17 MX$59.5

59.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 $4.86

$4.93 MX$92.7

-1.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.41 MX$26.40

-39.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.22 MX$41.62

10.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.28 $7.28

$1.42 MX$26.61

412.68%

Eggs

$4.99 $4.99

$2.52 MX$47.36

98.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.59 $15.59

$7.26 MX$136

114.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 $11.54

$7.70 MX$144

49.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.23 $19.23

$12.69 MX$238

51.54%

Apples (1kg)

$7.07 $7.07

$2.78 MX$52.3

154.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.37 MX$25.68

15.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$2.55 MX$47.89

201.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.92 $6.92

$2.12 MX$39.86

226.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.94 MX$36.39

96.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.89 MX$35.41

101.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.15 MX$21.53

116.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.18 MX$22.13

74.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 $10.13

$4.30 MX$80.6

135.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.37 $14.37

$9.95 MX$187

44.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.58 MX$29.73

10.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.67 MX$50.1

90.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.55 MX$10.39

123.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 $50.2

$26.62 MX$500

88.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 $5.01

$4.97 MX$93.3

0.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 $1.79

$3.33 MX$62.5

-46.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.44 MX$27.11

-29.17%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

34.68%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

13.19%

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

$244 $244

$84.8 MX$1,592

188.16%

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

$41.85 $41.85

$23.41 MX$439

78.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.7 $80.7

$28.66 MX$538

181.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.89 $43.89

$57.1 MX$1,071

-23.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.57 $17.57

$28.91 MX$543

-39.23%

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 $12.30

$5.14 MX$96.5

139.30%

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

$1,048 $1,048

$207 MX$3,878

407.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

218.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$43.35 MX$814

21.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.0 $64.0

$41.44 MX$778

54.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$74.2 MX$1,393

40.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 $126

$89.3 MX$1,676

41.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,020 $1,020

$980 MX$18.4K

4.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$843 $843

$381 MX$7,150

121.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,545 $1,545

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-9.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,518 $1,518

$1,075 MX$20.2K

41.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,483 $1,483

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-62.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,196 $1,196

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-80.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,257 $3,257

$735 MX$13.8K

343.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.08

11.45

-46.90%

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

Last update for Akron, OH: 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

Akron, OH

$843 38%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 54.8% $462

Groceries & Markets

Akron, OH

$456 20.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 44.1% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Akron, OH

$367 16.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 62.7% $230

Eating Out

Akron, OH

$262 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 22.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Akron, OH

$156 7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 28.4% $44

Getting Around

Akron, OH

$69 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 26.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Akron, OH

$69 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 1.7% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,020 in Akron, OH and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Akron, OH pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74 in Akron, OH vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $456 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Akron, OH

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

Same time as Akron, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

197,542

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Akron, OH Playa del Carmen 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Akron, OH
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

Akron, OH vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,222 in Akron, OH and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Akron, OH is about 4.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,020 in Akron, OH versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,222 per month in Akron, OH versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 47% less than in Akron, OH. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,222 in Akron, OH, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Akron, OH. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Akron, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.