Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,669 in Athens, OH, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Athens, OH
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Athens, OH Living Index
59

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

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Athens, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$1,669

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,669 in Athens, OH versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Athens, OH $1,669
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,495 in Athens, OH versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Athens, OH $2,495
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,320 in Athens, OH versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Athens, OH $3,320
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Athens, OH is roughly 38% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens, OH is 23% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.74 $14.74

$10.86 MX$201

35.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.20 $49.20

$44.21 MX$817

11.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 $10.18

$11.76 MX$217

-13.44%

Cappuccino

$4.98 $4.98

$3.68 MX$68.0

35.33%

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

$2.25 $2.25

$1.34 MX$24.79

67.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 $1.41

$0.82 MX$15.24

71.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.06 MX$56.6

61.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 $7.03

$4.94 MX$91.2

42.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 $0.69

$1.47 MX$27.17

-53.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.22 MX$40.95

-7.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.48 MX$27.32

103.38%

Eggs

$4.25 $4.25

$2.49 MX$45.99

70.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 $12.64

$7.52 MX$139

68.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.63 $8.63

$7.96 MX$147

8.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.20 $16.20

$12.57 MX$232

28.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.78 MX$51.3

29.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.43 MX$26.37

-32.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.62 MX$48.37

6.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.14 MX$39.49

38.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.02 MX$37.38

-16.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.99 MX$36.74

9.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.14 MX$21.01

45.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.20 MX$22.18

60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.09 $9.09

$4.26 MX$78.7

113.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$10.02 MX$185

48.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.54 MX$28.41

38.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.66 MX$49.17

16.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.53 MX$9.73

92.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 $3.86

$4.90 MX$90.6

-21.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$3.43 MX$63.5

-62.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.15 $25.15

$5.38 MX$99.4

367.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.45 MX$26.76

-40.00%

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

$36.3K $36.3K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

71.44%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

13.32%

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

$150 $150

$85.4 MX$1,577

75.37%

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

$29.86 $29.86

$23.46 MX$434

27.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 $48.41

$28.43 MX$525

70.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 $11.85

$5.10 MX$94.3

132.35%

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

$1,476 $1,476

$201 MX$3,715

633.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K $19.5K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

393.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.08 $46.08

$44.39 MX$820

3.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.56 $45.56

$41.35 MX$764

10.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 $65.4

$72.7 MX$1,344

-10.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$89.6 MX$1,656

20.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 $1,313

$979 MX$18.1K

34.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 $701

$373 MX$6,887

87.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,471 $1,471

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-12.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,216 $1,216

$1,095 MX$20.2K

10.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,644 $1,644

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-58.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,650 $1,650

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-73.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,377 $3,377

$738 MX$13.6K

357.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

11.45

-42.45%

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

Last update for Athens, OH: October 20, 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

Athens, OH

$701 42%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 46.8% $328

Groceries & Markets

Athens, OH

$322 19.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 19.7% $63

Eating Out

Athens, OH

$262 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 23.5% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens, OH

$228 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 39.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Athens, OH

$119 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 6.4% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Athens, OH

$24 * 1.4%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 206% $49

Getting Around

Athens, OH

$14 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 262% $37

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 $1,313 in Athens, OH and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens, OH pays 348% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Athens, OH vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Athens, OH

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:00 6:00 AM

05:00 5:00 AM

1 h behind Athens, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,452

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 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).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Athens, OH Playa del Carmen 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens, 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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 38% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 348% higher in Athens, OH, 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: $1,313 in Athens, OH versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Athens, OH. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,669 per month in Athens, OH versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,669 in Athens, OH, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Athens, OH. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Athens, OH, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Athens, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.