Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ojai, CA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,611 in Ojai, CA, rent and utilities included – about $28,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

175

Cost of Living Index in Ojai, CA
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Ojai, CA Living Index
58

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

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Ojai, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,611

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,611 per month in Ojai, CA vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ojai, CA $3,611
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,299 per month in Ojai, CA vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ojai, CA $4,299
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,987 per month in Ojai, CA vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ojai, CA $4,987
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Ojai, CA costs about 200% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ojai, CA sits 165% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.82 $24.82

$10.92 MX$204

127.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 $50.9

$43.37 MX$808

17.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.52 $11.52

$11.78 MX$220

-2.21%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$3.81 MX$71.0

48.56%

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

$2.55 $2.55

$1.28 MX$23.90

99.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.78 MX$14.59

125.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.22 $8.22

$3.17 MX$59.0

159.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.60 $9.60

$4.93 MX$92.0

94.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.41 MX$26.22

-15.60%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.22 MX$41.33

69.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.42 MX$26.42

197.89%

Eggs

$4.85 $4.85

$2.52 MX$47.03

92.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.34 $12.34

$7.26 MX$135

69.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$7.70 MX$143

-32.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.15 $11.15

$12.69 MX$237

-12.14%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$2.78 MX$51.9

95.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.37 MX$25.50

26.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.55 MX$47.55

69.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.47 $6.47

$2.12 MX$39.58

205.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.94 MX$36.13

-35.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.89 MX$35.16

43.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.15 MX$21.37

69.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.18 MX$21.98

92.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.91 $10.91

$4.30 MX$80.1

153.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$9.95 MX$185

48.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.58 MX$29.52

7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.67 MX$49.79

19.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.55 MX$10.31

254.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.0 $55.0

$26.62 MX$496

106.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 $4.53

$4.97 MX$92.6

-8.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$3.33 MX$62.1

-42.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.30 $36.30

$5.36 MX$99.8

577.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.44 MX$26.92

6.94%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

34.26%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

13.37%

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

$213 $213

$84.8 MX$1,581

151.36%

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

$70.9 $70.9

$23.41 MX$436

202.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 $70.4

$28.66 MX$534

145.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.58 $39.58

$57.1 MX$1,063

-30.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$12.08 $12.08

$5.14 MX$95.8

135.02%

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

$1,874 $1,874

$207 MX$3,851

807.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.5K $43.5K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

1008.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 $57.8

$43.35 MX$808

33.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.11 $41.11

$41.44 MX$772

-0.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.1 $74.1

$74.2 MX$1,383

-0.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 $167

$89.3 MX$1,664

87.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,829 $2,829

$980 MX$18.3K

188.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,227 $2,227

$381 MX$7,099

484.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,505 $2,505

$1,708 MX$31.8K

46.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 $2,096

$1,075 MX$20.0K

94.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,150 $3,150

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-20.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,140 $2,140

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-65.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

11.45

-42.01%

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

Last update for Ojai, CA: 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

Ojai, CA

$2.2K 61.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 82.9% $1.8K

Eating Out

Ojai, CA

$379 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 46.5% $176

Groceries & Markets

Ojai, CA

$358 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 28.9% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ojai, CA

$354 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 61.4% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Ojai, CA

$153 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27% $41

Getting Around

Ojai, CA

$77 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 34.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Ojai, CA

$64 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 5.6% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,829 in Ojai, CA 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 $51 in Ojai, CA versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ojai, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:08 3:08 PM

17:08 5:08 PM

2 h ahead of Ojai, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ojai, CA Playa del Carmen 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ojai, CA
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

Ojai, CA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ojai, CA costs about 200% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,417 per month in Ojai, CA 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 $2,829 in Ojai, CA.

Kindergarten costs $1,874 per month in Ojai, CA and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Ojai, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Ojai, CA at $3,611. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ojai, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $3,611 in Ojai, CA. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 67% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.