Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,466 in Medina, OH, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medina, OH, United States
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Medina, OH
🇺🇸 United States
$2,466
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,466 per month in Medina, OH vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Medina, OH $2,466
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,044 per month in Medina, OH vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Medina, OH $4,044
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,622 per month in Medina, OH vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Medina, OH $5,622
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Medina, OH costs about 105% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medina, OH sits 81% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medina, OH
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.29 $18.29
$10.92 MX$205
67.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.7 $60.7
$43.37 MX$814
40.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.88 $9.88
$11.78 MX$221
-16.13%
Cappuccino
$4.87 $4.87
$3.81 MX$71.5
27.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 $2.04
$1.28 MX$24.07
59.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.99 $0.99
$0.78 MX$14.70
26.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.03 $5.03
$3.17 MX$59.5
58.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.91 $6.91
$4.93 MX$92.7
40.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medina, OH
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.99 $0.99
$1.41 MX$26.40
-29.79%
White Bread (500g)
$3.59 $3.59
$2.22 MX$41.62
61.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.45 $4.45
$1.42 MX$26.61
213.38%
Eggs
$3.88 $3.88
$2.52 MX$47.36
53.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.92 $8.92
$7.26 MX$136
22.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.84 $12.84
$7.70 MX$144
66.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.60 $17.60
$12.69 MX$238
38.69%
Apples (1kg)
$5.17 $5.17
$2.78 MX$52.3
85.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 $1.46
$1.37 MX$25.68
6.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.19 $4.19
$2.55 MX$47.89
64.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.51 $5.51
$2.12 MX$39.86
159.91%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 $1.29
$1.94 MX$36.39
-33.51%
Onion (1kg)
$2.48 $2.48
$1.89 MX$35.41
31.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.28 $2.28
$1.15 MX$21.53
98.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 $1.96
$1.18 MX$22.13
66.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.78 $8.78
$4.30 MX$80.6
104.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.02 $13.02
$9.95 MX$187
30.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.46 $1.46
$1.58 MX$29.73
-7.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.47 $1.47
$2.67 MX$50.1
-44.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Medina, OH
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.55 MX$10.39
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.62 MX$500
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.06 $4.06
$4.97 MX$93.3
-18.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 $1.53
$3.33 MX$62.5
-54.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.15 $21.15
$5.36 MX$101
294.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.05 $1.05
$1.44 MX$27.11
-27.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.0K $34.0K
$20.7K MX$388.0K
64.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.4K $26.4K
$23.5K MX$440.5K
12.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medina, OH
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$251 $251
$84.8 MX$1,592
195.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$51.7 $51.7
$23.41 MX$439
120.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$70.1 $70.1
$28.66 MX$538
144.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medina, OH
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.46 $37.46
$57.1 MX$1,071
-34.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$543
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.98 $11.98
$5.14 MX$96.5
133.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medina, OH
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,790 $1,790
$207 MX$3,878
766.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$34.4K $34.4K
$3,927 MX$73.7K
775.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medina, OH
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.84 $45.84
$43.35 MX$814
5.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.89 $47.89
$41.44 MX$778
15.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.0 $75.0
$74.2 MX$1,393
1.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.7 $73.7
$89.3 MX$1,676
-17.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medina, OH
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,029 $1,029
$980 MX$18.4K
5.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,246 $1,246
$381 MX$7,150
227.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,728 $2,728
$1,708 MX$32.1K
59.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,047 $3,047
$1,075 MX$20.2K
183.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,943 MX$74.0K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,158 MX$115.6K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medina, OH
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$735 MX$13.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.25
11.45
-45.41%

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

Last update for Medina, OH: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medina, OH
$1.2K
Playa del Carmen
$381 69.4% $866
Groceries & Markets
Medina, OH
$380
Playa del Carmen
$255 32.9% $125
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medina, OH
$372
Playa del Carmen
$137 63.3% $236
Eating Out
Medina, OH
$286
Playa del Carmen
$202 29.1% $83
Clothing & Footwear
Medina, OH
$109
Playa del Carmen
$112 2.4% $2.6
Sport & Entertainment
Medina, OH
$61
Playa del Carmen
$67 9.6% $5.9
Getting Around
Medina, OH
$12 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 331% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,029 in Medina, OH versus $980 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Medina, OH versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Medina, OH
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
18:24 6:24 PM
18:24 6:24 PM
Same time as Medina, OH
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
26,000
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medina, OH Playa del Carmen 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Medina, 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
Medina, OH vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medina, OH or Playa del Carmen?
Medina, OH costs about 105% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Medina, OH and in Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,699 per month in Medina, OH and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Medina, OH compared to Playa del Carmen?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,029 in Medina, OH and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
How do dining costs compare in Medina, OH and in Playa del Carmen?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Medina, OH and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Medina, OH or in Playa del Carmen?
Groceries cost about 49% more in Medina, OH, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Medina, OH or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Medina, OH at $2,466. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medina, OH it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
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.

Medina, OH vs other spots: cost of living compared

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