Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ojochal and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,687 in Ojochal, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Ojochal
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Ojochal Living Index
59

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

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Ojochal

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,687

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,687 per month in Ojochal vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ojochal $1,687
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,675 per month in Ojochal vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ojochal $2,675
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,664 per month in Ojochal vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ojochal $3,664
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Ojochal costs about 40% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ojochal sits 25% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.90 ₡5,338

$10.86 MX$201

9.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.3 ₡25.7K

$44.21 MX$817

29.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.51 ₡5,161

$11.76 MX$217

-2.13%

Cappuccino

$4.16 ₡1,865

$3.68 MX$68.0

13.04%

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

$2.65 ₡1,186

$1.34 MX$24.79

97.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₡839

$0.82 MX$15.24

128.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₡1,505

$3.06 MX$56.6

9.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₡1,963

$4.94 MX$91.2

-11.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₡1,051

$1.47 MX$27.17

59.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 ₡1,247

$2.22 MX$40.95

25.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$1.48 MX$27.32

68.92%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,527

$2.49 MX$45.99

36.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.83 ₡4,856

$7.52 MX$139

44.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 ₡4,758

$7.96 MX$147

33.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.86 ₡6,217

$12.57 MX$232

10.26%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 ₡2,339

$2.78 MX$51.3

87.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₡732

$1.43 MX$26.37

13.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 ₡1,467

$2.62 MX$48.37

24.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.14 MX$39.49

61.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 ₡1,339

$2.02 MX$37.38

48.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 ₡1,370

$1.99 MX$36.74

53.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.14 MX$21.01

-1.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,197

$1.20 MX$22.18

122.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 ₡2,508

$4.26 MX$78.7

31.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.23 ₡7,281

$10.02 MX$185

61.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 ₡1,150

$1.54 MX$28.41

66.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₡1,209

$2.66 MX$49.17

1.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ₡604

$0.53 MX$9.73

154.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ₡1,085

$4.90 MX$90.6

-50.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 ₡733

$3.43 MX$63.5

-52.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ₡3,921

$5.38 MX$99.4

62.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.45 MX$26.76

3.45%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

2.06%

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

$35.4K ₡15.9M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

53.92%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$85.4 MX$1,577

11.57%

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

$29.51 ₡13.2K

$23.46 MX$434

25.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.4 ₡26.6K

$28.43 MX$525

108.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.4K

$62.2 MX$1,149

16.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 ₡3,470

$5.10 MX$94.3

51.76%

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

$851 ₡381.6K

$201 MX$3,715

323.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.6M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

330.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.6 ₡32.5K

$44.39 MX$820

63.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 ₡25.1K

$41.35 MX$764

35.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.9K

$72.7 MX$1,344

77.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.2K

$89.6 MX$1,656

47.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 ₡364.3K

$979 MX$18.1K

-17.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$631 ₡282.8K

$373 MX$6,887

69.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,880 ₡843.1K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

11.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₡572.5K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

16.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.45

-24.72%

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

Last update for Ojochal: October 17, 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

Ojochal

$631 37.4%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 40.9% $258

Groceries & Markets

Ojochal

$370 22%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 30.3% $112

Eating Out

Ojochal

$223 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 10.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ojochal

$184 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 25.5% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Ojochal

$175 10.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 36.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Ojochal

$88 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 17.4% $15

Getting Around

Ojochal

$16 * 1%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 223% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Ojochal 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Ojochal versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Ojochal

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

11:23 11:23 AM

1 h ahead of Ojochal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,540

149,923

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

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Between locations

Ojochal Playa del Carmen 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ojochal
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,687 in Ojochal, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,531 per month in Ojochal 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,687 in Ojochal and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 40%.

Kindergarten costs $851 per month in Ojochal and $201 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 Ojochal at $1,687. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ojochal 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 $1,687 in Ojochal. 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, Ojochal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.