Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ikeja and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,409 in Ikeja, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ikeja outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Ikeja
Learn more

Ikeja Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Ikeja

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$2,409

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,409 per month in Ikeja vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ikeja $2,409
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $4,149 per month in Ikeja vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ikeja $4,149
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,890 per month in Ikeja vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ikeja $5,890
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Ikeja costs about 100% more than Playa del Carmen.

Ikeja sits 78% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$0.54 ₦717

$10.67 MX$199

-94.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.14 ₦14.9K

$43.80 MX$815

-74.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 ₦10.0K

$11.79 MX$219

-36.39%

Cappuccino

$2.86 ₦3,818

$3.79 MX$70.5

-24.54%

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

$0.14 ₦190

$1.30 MX$24.14

-89.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.07 ₦96.1

$0.83 MX$15.51

-91.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.31 ₦420

$3.15 MX$58.6

-90.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₦2,740

$4.93 MX$91.8

-58.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 ₦1,019

$1.41 MX$26.22

-46.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 ₦956

$2.20 MX$40.86

-67.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 ₦1,619

$1.47 MX$27.40

-17.69%

Eggs

$2.23 ₦2,984

$2.50 MX$46.47

-10.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.58 ₦4,787

$7.29 MX$136

-50.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 ₦5,292

$7.95 MX$148

-50.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.34 ₦5,799

$12.86 MX$239

-66.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ₦2,161

$2.90 MX$53.9

-44.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ₦1,703

$1.38 MX$25.74

-7.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 ₦1,524

$2.49 MX$46.36

-54.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 ₦1,978

$2.03 MX$37.78

-27.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 ₦2,058

$2.02 MX$37.69

-23.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 ₦2,094

$1.90 MX$35.42

-17.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 ₦1,133

$1.14 MX$21.30

-25.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₦527

$1.24 MX$23.06

-68.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.54 ₦724

$4.27 MX$79.5

-87.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.36 ₦3,156

$9.81 MX$183

-75.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₦713

$1.59 MX$29.51

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ₦618

$2.75 MX$51.1

-83.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 ₦154

$0.51 MX$9.58

-76.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.45 ₦4,616

$27.39 MX$510

-87.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 ₦875

$4.76 MX$88.6

-86.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₦1,202

$3.25 MX$60.5

-72.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ₦2,929

$5.39 MX$100

-59.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.14 ₦186

$1.53 MX$28.44

-90.85%

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

$11.0K ₦14.7M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

-48.26%

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

$28.6K ₦38.3M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

23.02%

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

$111 ₦147.9K

$83.5 MX$1,554

32.52%

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

$14.89 ₦19.9K

$23.19 MX$431

-35.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 ₦44.0K

$27.61 MX$514

19.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$6.07 ₦8,114

$5.00 MX$93.1

21.40%

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

$659 ₦881.4K

$207 MX$3,854

218.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K ₦26.0M

$5,231 MX$97.4K

271.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.80 ₦19.8K

$43.45 MX$809

-65.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.73 ₦23.7K

$42.54 MX$792

-58.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.66 ₦47.7K

$72.8 MX$1,354

-50.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.16 ₦65.7K

$88.4 MX$1,645

-44.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,536 ₦4.7M

$995 MX$18.5K

255.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,985 ₦2.7M

$382 MX$7,116

419.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,548 ₦8.8M

$1,674 MX$31.2K

291.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,077 ₦6.8M

$1,081 MX$20.1K

369.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$74.2 ₦99.1K

$832 MX$15.5K

-91.09%

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 Ikeja: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ikeja

$2K 82.4%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 80.7% $1.6K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ikeja

$158 6.6%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 15.3% $24

Groceries & Markets

Ikeja

$124 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 108% $133

Eating Out

Ikeja

$68 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 196% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Ikeja

$53 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 111% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Ikeja

$12 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 447% $54

Getting Around

Ikeja

$9.1 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 457% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,536 in Ikeja versus $995 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 in Playa del Carmen are about 11 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Ikeja versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $124 vs $257 – making Ikeja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Ikeja

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

13:57 1:57 PM

6 h behind Ikeja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

861,300

149,923

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.48 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.67 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇬 Nigerian Naira (₦)

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,337 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.48 USD). 1 EUR = 1,499 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.67 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

USD to NGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ikeja Playa del Carmen 9,790 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Ikeja
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,614 per month in Ikeja and $1,804 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $3,536 in Ikeja.

Interestingly, groceries are about 52% cheaper in Ikeja – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Ikeja and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Ikeja at $2,409. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ikeja it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.