Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ongata Rongai and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ongata Rongai: $572 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Ongata Rongai
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Ongata Rongai Living Index
58

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

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Ongata Rongai

🇰🇪 Kenya

$572

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $572 in Ongata Rongai versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Ongata Rongai $572
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $881 in Ongata Rongai versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Ongata Rongai $881
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,190 in Ongata Rongai versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Ongata Rongai $1,190
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Ongata Rongai costs roughly 53% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ongata Rongai 58% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.56 KES 851

$10.92 MX$205

-39.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.07 KES 2,475

$43.37 MX$813

-56.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 KES 805

$11.78 MX$221

-47.37%

Cappuccino

$1.95 KES 253

$3.81 MX$71.4

-48.82%

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

$0.29 KES 38.27

$1.28 MX$24.03

-77.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 KES 50.9

$0.78 MX$14.67

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 KES 297

$3.17 MX$59.3

-27.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 KES 352

$4.93 MX$92.5

-45.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.44 KES 57.7

$1.41 MX$26.35

-68.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 KES 61.9

$2.22 MX$41.54

-78.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 KES 205

$1.42 MX$26.56

11.27%

Eggs

$1.37 KES 178

$2.52 MX$47.27

-45.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.35 KES 565

$7.26 MX$136

-40.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.51 KES 456

$7.70 MX$144

-54.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.37 KES 438

$12.69 MX$238

-73.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.25 KES 162

$2.78 MX$52.2

-55.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 KES 140

$1.37 MX$25.64

-21.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 KES 153

$2.55 MX$47.80

-53.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 KES 84.2

$2.12 MX$39.78

-69.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 KES 95.2

$1.94 MX$36.32

-62.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 KES 62.4

$1.89 MX$35.34

-74.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 KES 91.9

$1.15 MX$21.49

-38.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 KES 62.7

$1.18 MX$22.09

-59.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 KES 297

$4.30 MX$80.5

-46.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.03 KES 1,173

$9.95 MX$186

-9.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 KES 285

$1.58 MX$29.67

39.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 KES 363

$2.67 MX$50.1

4.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 KES 205

$4.97 MX$93.1

-68.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 KES 196

$3.33 MX$62.4

-54.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 KES 381

$5.36 MX$100

-45.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 KES 201

$1.44 MX$27.06

7.64%

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

$19.4K KES 2.5M

$20.7K MX$387.3K

-6.26%

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

$22.1K KES 2.9M

$23.5K MX$439.7K

-5.81%

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

$54.8 KES 7,115

$84.8 MX$1,589

-35.36%

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

$14.99 KES 1,946

$23.41 MX$439

-35.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.02 KES 4,546

$28.66 MX$537

22.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 KES 998

$5.14 MX$96.3

49.61%

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

$273 KES 35.4K

$207 MX$3,871

31.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K KES 1.6M

$3,927 MX$73.6K

215.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.87 KES 3,617

$43.35 MX$812

-35.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.51 KES 3,830

$41.44 MX$777

-28.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 KES 9,052

$74.2 MX$1,390

-6.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.5 KES 7,725

$89.3 MX$1,672

-33.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$156 KES 20.3K

$980 MX$18.4K

-84.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 KES 15.0K

$381 MX$7,136

-69.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$233 KES 30.2K

$1,708 MX$32.0K

-86.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 KES 30.3K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-78.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

11.45

28.47%

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

Last update for Ongata Rongai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ongata Rongai

$129 22.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 97.7% $126

Accommodation & Living

Ongata Rongai

$116 20.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 229% $265

Eating Out

Ongata Rongai

$114 20%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 77.4% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ongata Rongai

$105 18.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 30.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Ongata Rongai

$84 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 33% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Ongata Rongai

$15 * 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 338% $52

Getting Around

Ongata Rongai

$9.1 * 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 454% $41

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 $156 in Ongata Rongai and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Ongata Rongai vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $129 vs $255 per month, with Ongata Rongai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Ongata Rongai

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

10:58 10:58 AM

8 h behind Ongata Rongai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,569

149,923

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ongata Rongai Playa del Carmen 13,560 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ongata Rongai
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

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

Ongata Rongai is about 53% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $858 in Ongata Rongai and $1,806 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: $156 in Ongata Rongai versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $273 in Ongata Rongai versus $207 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 Ongata Rongai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $572 in Ongata Rongai versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ongata Rongai but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ongata Rongai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.