Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,400 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ankara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

68

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
Learn more

Ankara Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,400

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,400 per month in Ankara vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ankara $1,400
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Ankara vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ankara $2,082
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Ankara vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ankara $2,763
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Ankara costs about 15% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Ankara sits 4% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.32 ₺509

$10.97 MX$201

-5.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.03 ₺2,070

$44.85 MX$823

-6.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.72 ₺479

$11.92 MX$219

-18.46%

Cappuccino

$3.99 ₺196

$3.80 MX$69.9

5.00%

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

$1.68 ₺82.5

$1.31 MX$24.08

28.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₺37.15

$0.86 MX$15.72

-12.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 ₺248

$3.21 MX$59.0

56.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 ₺297

$5.01 MX$92.0

20.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 ₺57.5

$1.46 MX$26.77

-19.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ₺50.0

$2.33 MX$42.72

-56.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 ₺117

$1.44 MX$26.48

64.58%

Eggs

$2.64 ₺130

$2.46 MX$45.20

7.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.31 ₺508

$7.70 MX$141

33.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.54 ₺273

$7.89 MX$145

-29.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.01 ₺986

$12.80 MX$235

56.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ₺96.1

$2.92 MX$53.6

-33.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.42 MX$26.11

61.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 ₺65.3

$2.57 MX$47.10

-48.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ₺86.7

$2.14 MX$39.24

-17.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 ₺33.50

$1.95 MX$35.75

-65.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.94 MX$35.55

-72.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ₺50.4

$1.15 MX$21.13

-11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₺33.14

$1.22 MX$22.42

-45.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 ₺113

$4.38 MX$80.3

-47.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 ₺615

$9.85 MX$181

26.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₺109

$1.54 MX$28.23

44.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₺158

$2.72 MX$49.86

18.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ₺33.99

$0.52 MX$9.64

32.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.31 ₺607

$27.42 MX$503

-55.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺63.7

$4.91 MX$90.2

-73.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺41.68

$3.52 MX$64.7

-75.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.66 ₺328

$5.69 MX$104

17.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ₺68.1

$1.54 MX$28.27

-10.39%

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

$48.9K ₺2.4M

$21.2K MX$389.9K

130.04%

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

$41.2K ₺2.0M

$24.5K MX$449.6K

68.15%

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

$95.4 ₺4,699

$83.6 MX$1,535

14.10%

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

$10.92 ₺538

$24.03 MX$441

-54.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.83 ₺878

$29.33 MX$539

-39.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.4 ₺3,568

$64.9 MX$1,191

11.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.15 ₺746

$29.46 MX$541

-48.57%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺397

$5.09 MX$93.4

58.15%

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

$1,035 ₺51.0K

$208 MX$3,813

398.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K ₺981.9K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

392.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ₺2,645

$44.55 MX$818

20.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.68 ₺2,349

$42.06 MX$772

13.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,107

$75.5 MX$1,387

37.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 ₺4,709

$91.4 MX$1,678

4.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ₺37.2K

$986 MX$18.1K

-23.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₺28.4K

$385 MX$7,072

49.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 ₺57.3K

$1,713 MX$31.5K

-32.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$891 ₺43.9K

$1,108 MX$20.4K

-19.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,671 ₺82.3K

$4,016 MX$73.7K

-58.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,171 ₺57.7K

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-81.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 ₺54.2K

$758 MX$13.9K

45.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

43.57

11.45

280.52%

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

Last update for Ankara: October 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ankara

$577 41%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 33.2% $191

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$256 18.2%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 1.7% $4.4

Eating Out

Ankara

$207 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 1.3% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$135 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 15.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$124 8.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 10.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$89 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 15.2% $13

Getting Around

Ankara

$21 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 153% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Ankara versus $986 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 45% higher in Ankara, 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 $42.00 in Ankara versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $260 – making Ankara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:35 10:35 AM

02:35 2:35 AM

8 h behind Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ankara Playa del Carmen 10,850 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankara
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

Ankara vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 15% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,100 per month in Ankara and $1,823 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,035 per month in Ankara and $208 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Ankara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Ankara at $1,400. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ankara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,215 versus $1,400 in Ankara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Ankara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.