Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ocean Shores, WA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,814 in Ocean Shores, WA, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Ocean Shores, WA
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Ocean Shores, WA Living Index
58

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

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Ocean Shores, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,814

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,814 per month in Ocean Shores, WA vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ocean Shores, WA $2,814
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,147 per month in Ocean Shores, WA vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ocean Shores, WA $4,147
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,480 per month in Ocean Shores, WA vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ocean Shores, WA $5,480
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Ocean Shores, WA costs about 134% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ocean Shores, WA sits 107% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.79 $24.79

$10.92 MX$203

127.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$43.37 MX$808

132.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.22 $15.22

$11.78 MX$219

29.20%

Cappuccino

$6.77 $6.77

$3.81 MX$71.0

77.69%

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

$3.15 $3.15

$1.28 MX$23.89

146.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$0.78 MX$14.58

302.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 $8.13

$3.17 MX$59.0

156.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.93 MX$91.9

65.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.41 MX$26.20

-18.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.22 MX$41.30

46.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$1.42 MX$26.40

278.17%

Eggs

$3.46 $3.46

$2.52 MX$47.00

37.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 $11.19

$7.26 MX$135

54.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$7.70 MX$143

-19.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 $16.50

$12.69 MX$236

30.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.78 MX$51.9

60.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.37 MX$25.49

35.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.55 MX$47.52

32.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.29 $6.29

$2.12 MX$39.55

196.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.94 MX$36.11

79.90%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.89 MX$35.13

67.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.15 MX$21.36

70.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.18 MX$21.96

66.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.42 $12.42

$4.30 MX$80.0

188.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.75 $14.75

$9.95 MX$185

48.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.58 MX$29.50

37.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.67 MX$49.76

-25.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.55 MX$10.31

256.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.7 $59.7

$26.62 MX$496

124.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$4.97 MX$92.6

-46.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$3.33 MX$62.1

-48.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.49 $29.49

$5.36 MX$99.8

450.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.44 MX$26.90

-1.39%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

79.17%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

9.73%

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

$302 $302

$84.8 MX$1,580

255.64%

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

$68.6 $68.6

$23.41 MX$436

193.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 $87.5

$28.66 MX$534

205.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.13 $35.13

$57.1 MX$1,063

-38.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$18.30 $18.30

$5.14 MX$95.7

256.03%

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

$2,796 $2,796

$207 MX$3,848

1253.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K $31.0K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

688.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 $80.0

$43.35 MX$808

84.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 $55.3

$41.44 MX$772

33.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 $127

$74.2 MX$1,382

71.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 $160

$89.3 MX$1,663

79.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,413 $1,413

$980 MX$18.2K

44.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 $1,244

$381 MX$7,095

226.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,604 $2,604

$1,708 MX$31.8K

52.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,071 $2,071

$1,075 MX$20.0K

92.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,770 $2,770

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-29.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 $2,491

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-59.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

11.45

-39.83%

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

Last update for Ocean Shores, WA: October 24, 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

Ocean Shores, WA

$1.2K 44.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 69.4% $863

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ocean Shores, WA

$458 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 70.1% $321

Eating Out

Ocean Shores, WA

$407 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 50.3% $205

Groceries & Markets

Ocean Shores, WA

$365 13%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 30.1% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Ocean Shores, WA

$190 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 41.3% $78

Getting Around

Ocean Shores, WA

$79 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 36% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Ocean Shores, WA

$72 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 6.1% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,413 in Ocean Shores, WA 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 $101 in Ocean Shores, WA versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $365 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ocean Shores, WA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

20:04 8:04 PM

2 h ahead of Ocean Shores, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,700

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ocean Shores, WA Playa del Carmen 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ocean Shores, WA
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

Ocean Shores, WA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ocean Shores, WA is pricier by about 134%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,221 per month in Ocean Shores, WA 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 $1,413 in Ocean Shores, WA.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Ocean Shores, WA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Ocean Shores, WA and $43 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 $1,204, than in Ocean Shores, WA at $2,814. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ocean Shores, WA 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.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 57% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.