Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ibadan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibadan: $251 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Ibadan, Nigeria
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Ibadan
🇳🇬 Nigeria
$251
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $251 in Ibadan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Ibadan $251
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $558 in Ibadan versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Ibadan $558
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $865 in Ibadan versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Ibadan $865
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Ibadan costs roughly 79% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ibadan 82% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ibadan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.10 ₦1,471
$10.92 MX$204
-89.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.84 ₦40.0K
$43.37 MX$808
-31.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.06 ₦8,127
$11.78 MX$220
-48.56%
Cappuccino
$0.78 ₦1,046
$3.81 MX$71.0
-79.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.22 ₦295
$1.28 MX$23.90
-82.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.13 ₦179
$0.78 MX$14.59
-83.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.53 ₦715
$3.17 MX$59.0
-83.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.15 ₦1,545
$4.93 MX$92.0
-76.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ibadan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.58 ₦782
$1.41 MX$26.22
-58.87%
White Bread (500g)
$0.60 ₦798
$2.22 MX$41.33
-72.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.10 ₦1,478
$1.42 MX$26.42
-22.54%
Eggs
$1.57 ₦2,102
$2.52 MX$47.03
-37.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.62 ₦4,857
$7.26 MX$135
-50.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.83 ₦5,129
$7.70 MX$143
-50.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$0.72 ₦962
$12.69 MX$237
-94.33%
Apples (1kg)
$1.64 ₦2,203
$2.78 MX$51.9
-41.01%
Banana (1kg)
$1.27 ₦1,696
$1.37 MX$25.50
-7.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.09 ₦1,464
$2.55 MX$47.55
-57.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.29 ₦388
$2.12 MX$39.58
-86.32%
Potato (1kg)
$0.57 ₦769
$1.94 MX$36.13
-70.62%
Onion (1kg)
$0.23 ₦308
$1.89 MX$35.16
-87.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.21 ₦281
$1.15 MX$21.37
-81.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.12 ₦159
$1.18 MX$21.98
-89.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$0.58 ₦781
$4.30 MX$80.1
-86.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$1.11 ₦1,484
$9.95 MX$185
-88.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.40 ₦531
$1.58 MX$29.52
-74.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ₦669
$2.67 MX$49.79
-81.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Ibadan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.14 ₦187
$0.55 MX$10.31
-74.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.62 MX$496
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.66 ₦884
$4.97 MX$92.6
-86.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.62 ₦825
$3.33 MX$62.1
-81.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₦1,523
$5.36 MX$99.8
-78.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.57 ₦759
$1.44 MX$26.92
-60.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$4,183 ₦5.6M
$20.7K MX$385.2K
-79.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.0K ₦38.8M
$23.5K MX$437.4K
23.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ibadan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$11.37 ₦15.2K
$84.8 MX$1,581
-86.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.83 ₦5,129
$23.41 MX$436
-83.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.60 ₦11.5K
$28.66 MX$534
-69.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ibadan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.27 ₦28.5K
$57.1 MX$1,063
-62.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$1.47 ₦1,973
$5.14 MX$95.8
-71.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ibadan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$48.34 ₦64.8K
$207 MX$3,851
-76.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$622 ₦833.1K
$3,927 MX$73.2K
-84.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ibadan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$11.76 ₦15.8K
$43.35 MX$808
-72.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$5.62 ₦7,529
$41.44 MX$772
-86.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$14.86 ₦19.9K
$74.2 MX$1,383
-79.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$20.99 ₦28.1K
$89.3 MX$1,664
-76.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ibadan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$123 ₦165.0K
$980 MX$18.3K
-87.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$45.67 ₦61.2K
$381 MX$7,099
-88.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$444 ₦594.5K
$1,708 MX$31.8K
-74.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$293 ₦392.4K
$1,075 MX$20.0K
-72.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$849 ₦1.1M
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-78.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$30.37 ₦40.7K
$6,158 MX$114.8K
-99.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ibadan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$57.7 ₦77.3K
$735 MX$13.7K
-92.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
18.39
11.45
60.61%

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

Last update for Ibadan: 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.
Groceries & Markets
Ibadan
$86
Playa del Carmen
$255 197% $169
Accommodation & Living
Ibadan
$46
Playa del Carmen
$381 734% $335
Eating Out
Ibadan
$43
Playa del Carmen
$202 374% $160
Sport & Entertainment
Ibadan
$24
Playa del Carmen
$67 178% $43
Clothing & Footwear
Ibadan
$24
Playa del Carmen
$112 366% $88
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ibadan
$24
Playa del Carmen
$137 475% $113
Getting Around
Ibadan
$4.3 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 1076% $46

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 $123 in Ibadan and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 13 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Ibadan vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $86 vs $255 per month, with Ibadan cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇳🇬 Ibadan
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
18:49 6:49 PM
12:49 12:49 PM
6 h behind Ibadan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,034,200
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.7 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ibadan Playa del Carmen 9,820 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ibadan
  • 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
Ibadan vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ibadan or Playa del Carmen?
Ibadan wins on cost – living expenses run 79% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ibadan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Ibadan or in Playa del Carmen?
On paper, salaries run 92% lower in Ibadan. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Ibadan compared to Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $123 in Ibadan versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Ibadan and in Playa del Carmen?
Childcare runs $48 in Ibadan versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Ibadan and in Playa del Carmen?
Dining out is cheaper in Ibadan – a meal for two runs $30 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $800/month in Ibadan or in Playa del Carmen?
At $251 in Ibadan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Ibadan but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ibadan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Ibadan or 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.
Should I move to Ibadan or to Playa del Carmen?
It comes down to priorities – Ibadan wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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