Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Norman, OK and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,222 in Norman, OK, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Norman, OK
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Norman, OK Living Index
58

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

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Norman, OK

🇺🇸 United States

$2,222

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,222 per month in Norman, OK vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Norman, OK $2,222
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,190 per month in Norman, OK vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Norman, OK $3,190
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,157 per month in Norman, OK vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Norman, OK $4,157
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Norman, OK costs about 84% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Norman, OK sits 63% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.23 $18.23

$10.92 MX$203

66.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$43.37 MX$805

36.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 $11.79

$11.78 MX$219

0.08%

Cappuccino

$6.32 $6.32

$3.81 MX$70.7

65.88%

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

$2.88 $2.88

$1.28 MX$23.81

125.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$0.78 MX$14.54

197.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 $5.48

$3.17 MX$58.8

72.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 $8.23

$4.93 MX$91.7

66.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.41 MX$26.12

-31.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.22 MX$41.17

64.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.42 MX$26.32

154.93%

Eggs

$3.77 $3.77

$2.52 MX$46.85

49.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 $10.99

$7.26 MX$135

51.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.76 $10.76

$7.70 MX$143

39.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 $19.50

$12.69 MX$236

53.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.78 MX$51.7

75.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.37 MX$25.41

31.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.55 MX$47.37

71.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.12 MX$39.43

94.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.94 MX$36.00

35.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.89 MX$35.02

56.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.15 MX$21.29

93.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.18 MX$21.89

100.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.79 $9.79

$4.30 MX$79.8

127.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 $14.03

$9.95 MX$185

41.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.58 MX$29.41

20.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.67 MX$49.60

21.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$4.97 MX$92.3

-45.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 $1.24

$3.33 MX$61.9

-62.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.41 $24.41

$5.36 MX$99.5

355.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.44 MX$26.82

-31.94%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

34.13%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

9.38%

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

$191 $191

$84.8 MX$1,575

124.90%

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

$84.4 $84.4

$23.41 MX$435

260.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.5 $83.5

$28.66 MX$532

191.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.46 $34.46

$57.1 MX$1,059

-39.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$15.03 $15.03

$5.14 MX$95.4

192.41%

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

$1,539 $1,539

$207 MX$3,836

645.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

510.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$43.35 MX$805

24.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.25 $41.25

$41.44 MX$770

-0.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$74.2 MX$1,378

41.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$89.3 MX$1,657

58.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 $1,114

$980 MX$18.2K

13.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 $925

$381 MX$7,072

142.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,650 $1,650

$1,708 MX$31.7K

-3.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 $1,387

$1,075 MX$20.0K

29.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,324 $2,324

$3,943 MX$73.2K

-41.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,586 $1,586

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-74.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,903 $3,903

$735 MX$13.6K

431.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

11.45

-42.18%

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

Last update for Norman, OK: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Norman, OK

$925 41.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 58.8% $544

Groceries & Markets

Norman, OK

$390 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 34.6% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Norman, OK

$359 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 61.8% $222

Eating Out

Norman, OK

$322 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 37.1% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Norman, OK

$154 6.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Norman, OK

$65 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 4.3% $2.8

Getting Around

Norman, OK

$8.9 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 465% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,114 in Norman, OK 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.

Salaries in Norman, OK are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Norman, OK versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $390 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Norman, OK

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:28 9:28 PM

22:28 10:28 PM

1 h ahead of Norman, OK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

102,827

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Norman, OK Playa del Carmen 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Norman, OK
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

Norman, OK vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Norman, OK is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,333 per month in Norman, OK and $1,806 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 $980 there versus $1,114 in Norman, OK.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,222 in Norman, OK and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 46% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,539 per month in Norman, OK and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Norman, OK at $2,222. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Norman, OK 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.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Norman, OK makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.