Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oak Park, IL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,585 in Oak Park, IL, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Oak Park, IL
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Oak Park, IL Living Index
59

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

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Oak Park, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,585

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,585 per month in Oak Park, IL vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Oak Park, IL $2,585
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,781 per month in Oak Park, IL vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Oak Park, IL $3,781
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,977 per month in Oak Park, IL vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Oak Park, IL $4,977
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Oak Park, IL costs about 115% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Oak Park, IL sits 91% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$10.86 MX$201

82.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$44.21 MX$817

70.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 $11.41

$11.76 MX$217

-2.98%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.68 MX$68.0

48.64%

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

$2.72 $2.72

$1.34 MX$24.79

102.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.82 MX$15.24

139.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.06 MX$56.6

97.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 $7.18

$4.94 MX$91.2

45.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.47 MX$27.17

-30.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.22 MX$40.95

59.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.48 MX$27.32

185.14%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$2.49 MX$45.99

65.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.11 $14.11

$7.52 MX$139

87.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 $11.34

$7.96 MX$147

42.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.89 $16.89

$12.57 MX$232

34.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.78 MX$51.3

78.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.43 MX$26.37

9.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.62 MX$48.37

68.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.14 MX$39.49

108.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.02 MX$37.38

34.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.99 MX$36.74

38.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.14 MX$21.01

68.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.20 MX$22.18

111.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.26 $9.26

$4.26 MX$78.7

117.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$10.02 MX$185

48.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.54 MX$28.41

44.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.66 MX$49.17

30.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.53 MX$9.73

222.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$4.90 MX$90.6

-45.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.43 MX$63.5

-42.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.26 $33.26

$5.38 MX$99.4

518.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.45 MX$26.76

-28.28%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

22.60%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

4.83%

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

$198 $198

$85.4 MX$1,577

131.51%

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

$59.2 $59.2

$23.46 MX$434

152.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$28.43 MX$525

148.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.92 $37.92

$62.2 MX$1,149

-39.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$12.41 $12.41

$5.10 MX$94.3

143.33%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$201 MX$3,715

624.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

487.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 $53.1

$44.39 MX$820

19.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.71 $43.71

$41.35 MX$764

5.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$72.7 MX$1,344

20.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$89.6 MX$1,656

38.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 $1,575

$979 MX$18.1K

60.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,312 $1,312

$373 MX$6,887

251.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,550 $2,550

$1,681 MX$31.1K

51.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,168 $2,168

$1,095 MX$20.2K

97.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,118 $3,118

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-21.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,251 $2,251

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-63.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,703 $5,703

$738 MX$13.6K

673.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.45

-42.62%

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

Last update for Oak Park, IL: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oak Park, IL

$1.3K 50.8%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 71.6% $939

Groceries & Markets

Oak Park, IL

$403 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 35.8% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oak Park, IL

$328 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 58.1% $190

Eating Out

Oak Park, IL

$322 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 37.8% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Oak Park, IL

$139 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 19.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Oak Park, IL

$63 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 15.4% $9.7

Getting Around

Oak Park, IL

$19 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 166% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,575 in Oak Park, IL versus $979 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 run about 673% higher in Oak Park, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Oak Park, IL versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Oak Park, IL

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:52 5:52 AM

Same time as Oak Park, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,583

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Oak Park, IL Playa del Carmen 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Oak Park, IL
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

Oak Park, IL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,585 in Oak Park, IL, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 115% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,877 per month in Oak Park, IL 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Oak Park, IL and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Oak Park, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Oak Park, IL at $2,585. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oak Park, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,585 in Oak Park, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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