Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ocho Rios and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ocho Rios: $1,089 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Ocho Rios
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Ocho Rios Living Index
59

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

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Ocho Rios

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,089

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,089 in Ocho Rios versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Ocho Rios $1,089
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,565 in Ocho Rios versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Ocho Rios $1,565
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,040 in Ocho Rios versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Ocho Rios $2,040
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Ocho Rios costs roughly 10% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ocho Rios 19% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.32 JMD 1,473

$10.76 MX$199

-13.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 JMD 10.0K

$43.03 MX$795

47.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.73 JMD 1,063

$11.79 MX$218

-42.92%

Cappuccino

$3.07 JMD 486

$3.87 MX$71.4

-20.67%

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

$1.16 JMD 183

$1.37 MX$25.29

-15.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 JMD 107

$0.84 MX$15.44

-20.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 JMD 350

$3.10 MX$57.3

-28.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 JMD 486

$5.07 MX$93.6

-39.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.94 JMD 623

$1.44 MX$26.55

173.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 JMD 439

$2.23 MX$41.23

24.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 JMD 255

$1.47 MX$27.17

9.52%

Eggs

$3.58 JMD 566

$2.53 MX$46.71

41.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 JMD 1,813

$7.30 MX$135

57.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.19 JMD 978

$7.86 MX$145

-21.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.14 JMD 1,602

$12.79 MX$236

-20.72%

Apples (1kg)

$5.86 JMD 926

$2.90 MX$53.6

102.07%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 JMD 493

$1.44 MX$26.53

116.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.42 JMD 1,015

$2.55 MX$47.07

151.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 JMD 385

$2.06 MX$38.03

18.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 JMD 518

$2.00 MX$36.97

64.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 JMD 401

$2.01 MX$37.07

26.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 JMD 451

$1.19 MX$22.02

139.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 JMD 221

$1.26 MX$23.23

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.54 JMD 1,349

$4.40 MX$81.4

94.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.25 JMD 1,462

$9.59 MX$177

-3.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 JMD 454

$1.59 MX$29.41

81.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 JMD 609

$2.81 MX$51.9

37.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 JMD 151

$0.57 MX$10.47

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 JMD 193

$4.98 MX$92.1

-75.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 509

$3.50 MX$64.6

-8.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 JMD 1,000

$5.40 MX$99.8

17.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 JMD 227

$1.47 MX$27.08

-2.72%

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

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

108.17%

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

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

38.28%

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

$169 JMD 26.7K

$84.2 MX$1,556

100.38%

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

$19.74 JMD 3,118

$23.99 MX$443

-17.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 JMD 8,471

$29.02 MX$536

84.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 JMD 1,812

$4.94 MX$91.3

132.19%

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

$358 JMD 56.6K

$204 MX$3,763

75.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,091 JMD 1.3M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

105.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,696

$43.60 MX$806

-46.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.00 JMD 4,897

$43.12 MX$797

-28.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

$75.8 MX$1,400

0.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$88.6 MX$1,637

16.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 JMD 59.7K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-62.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 JMD 29.7K

$374 MX$6,911

-49.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

11.45

-17.47%

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

Last update for Ocho Rios: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ocho Rios

$353 32.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 26.9% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ocho Rios

$242 22.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 43.3% $105

Accommodation & Living

Ocho Rios

$188 17.3%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 98.7% $186

Eating Out

Ocho Rios

$156 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 29.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Ocho Rios

$105 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 7.2% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Ocho Rios

$23 * 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 218% $50

Getting Around

Ocho Rios

$21 * 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 149% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $378 in Ocho Rios and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63.0 in Ocho Rios vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Ocho Rios

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:16 7:16 PM

Same time as Ocho Rios

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,503

149,923

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ocho Rios Playa del Carmen 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ocho Rios
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

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

Ocho Rios is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,634 in Ocho Rios and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $378 in Ocho Rios versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $358 in Ocho Rios versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ocho Rios – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,089 in Ocho Rios versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ocho Rios but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ocho Rios the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ocho Rios is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Ocho Rios gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.