Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elmina and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
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Elmina Living Index
59

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

Jump to prices

Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $668 per month in Elmina vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Elmina $668
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,125 per month in Elmina vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Elmina $1,125
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,582 per month in Elmina vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Elmina $1,582
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Elmina is about 45% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Elmina and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Elmina 51% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.82 GHS 91.0

$10.76 MX$199

-27.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 GHS 591

$43.03 MX$795

18.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 GHS 119

$11.79 MX$218

-12.98%

Cappuccino

$4.46 GHS 51.9

$3.87 MX$71.4

15.25%

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

$1.53 GHS 17.85

$1.37 MX$25.29

11.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 GHS 5.12

$0.84 MX$15.44

-47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 GHS 21.03

$3.10 MX$57.3

-41.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 GHS 25.19

$5.07 MX$93.6

-57.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.67 GHS 42.68

$1.44 MX$26.55

154.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 GHS 19.37

$2.23 MX$41.23

-25.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 GHS 35.63

$1.47 MX$27.17

108.16%

Eggs

$2.68 GHS 31.21

$2.53 MX$46.71

5.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.03 GHS 140

$7.30 MX$135

64.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 GHS 82.3

$7.86 MX$145

-9.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 GHS 112

$12.79 MX$236

-24.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 GHS 41.93

$2.90 MX$53.6

24.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 GHS 16.32

$1.44 MX$26.53

-2.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 GHS 20.58

$2.55 MX$47.07

-30.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 GHS 41.44

$2.06 MX$38.03

72.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 GHS 31.29

$2.00 MX$36.97

34.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 GHS 30.82

$2.01 MX$37.07

31.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 GHS 8.34

$1.19 MX$22.02

-39.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 GHS 7.02

$1.26 MX$23.23

-52.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 GHS 29.19

$4.40 MX$81.4

-42.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 GHS 82.1

$9.59 MX$177

-26.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 GHS 14.10

$1.59 MX$29.41

-23.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 GHS 27.14

$2.81 MX$51.9

-17.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 GHS 20.29

$4.98 MX$92.1

-65.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 GHS 14.65

$3.50 MX$64.6

-64.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 GHS 50.0

$5.40 MX$99.8

-20.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 GHS 15.58

$1.47 MX$27.08

-8.84%

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

$7,913 GHS 92.0K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

-62.29%

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

$9,662 GHS 112.4K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-59.59%

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

$73.7 GHS 857

$84.2 MX$1,556

-12.48%

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

$19.07 GHS 222

$23.99 MX$443

-20.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.25 GHS 491

$29.02 MX$536

45.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 GHS 147

$4.94 MX$91.3

156.28%

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

$470 GHS 5,464

$204 MX$3,763

130.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K GHS 216.6K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

372.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.18 GHS 165

$43.60 MX$806

-67.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.59 GHS 216

$43.12 MX$797

-56.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.74 GHS 427

$75.8 MX$1,400

-51.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.0 GHS 605

$88.6 MX$1,637

-41.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.75

11.45

133.62%

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

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Elmina

$276 41.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 6.5% $18

Eating Out

Elmina

$168 25.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 20.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elmina

$135 20.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 1.6% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Elmina

$55 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 107% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Elmina

$25 * 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 188% $48

Getting Around

Elmina

$8 * 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 554% $45

Accommodation & Living

Elmina

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Elmina versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Elmina

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

06:36 6:36 AM

5 h behind Elmina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,403

149,923

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.07 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Elmina Playa del Carmen 9,360 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Elmina
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,001 per month in Elmina and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Elmina and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – 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 Elmina, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Elmina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elmina – 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 Elmina. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.