Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ostia and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,756 in Ostia, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Ostia
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Ostia Living Index
59

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

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Ostia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,756

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,756 per month in Ostia vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ostia $1,756
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,594 per month in Ostia vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ostia $2,594
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,432 per month in Ostia vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ostia $3,432
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Ostia costs about 45% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ostia sits 30% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.51 €14.69

$10.76 MX$199

53.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.7

$43.03 MX$795

53.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.10

$11.79 MX$218

-3.65%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.00

$3.87 MX$71.4

-41.86%

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

$2.33 €2.07

$1.37 MX$25.29

70.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.06

$0.84 MX$15.44

42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 €4.86

$3.10 MX$57.3

76.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.27

$5.07 MX$93.6

-5.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.44 MX$26.55

15.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.23 MX$41.23

-3.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$1.47 MX$27.17

104.08%

Eggs

$4.54 €4.04

$2.53 MX$46.71

79.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 €13.27

$7.30 MX$135

104.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.49 €11.11

$7.86 MX$145

58.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 €17.44

$12.79 MX$236

53.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$2.90 MX$53.6

-10.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.44 MX$26.53

43.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.55 MX$47.07

-8.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.06 MX$38.03

15.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.00 MX$36.97

-28.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$2.01 MX$37.07

-20.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.19 MX$22.02

10.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.46

$1.26 MX$23.23

-59.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.90

$4.40 MX$81.4

50.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$9.59 MX$177

-43.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.59 MX$29.41

-1.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.81 MX$51.9

-11.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.57 MX$10.47

189.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.01 €34.70

$27.82 MX$514

40.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.93

$4.98 MX$92.1

-11.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 €1.11

$3.50 MX$64.6

-64.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.16 €20.60

$5.40 MX$99.8

328.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.47 MX$27.08

46.26%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

68.09%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

48.13%

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

$197 €175

$84.2 MX$1,556

133.50%

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

$9.61 €8.55

$23.99 MX$443

-59.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.13 €27.69

$29.02 MX$536

7.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 €49.93

$63.0 MX$1,164

-10.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 €9.96

$29.14 MX$539

-61.56%

Cinema Ticket

$11.07 €9.85

$4.94 MX$91.3

124.09%

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

$449 €400

$204 MX$3,763

120.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,805 €7,832

$3,941 MX$72.8K

123.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 €64.2

$43.60 MX$806

65.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.65 €32.60

$43.12 MX$797

-15.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.6 €75.2

$75.8 MX$1,400

11.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$88.6 MX$1,637

40.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$853 €759

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-15.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 €599

$374 MX$6,911

79.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 €1,005

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-33.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$990 €881

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-10.49%

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)

$1,992 €1,772

$754 MX$13.9K

164.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

11.45

-69.43%

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

Last update for Ostia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ostia

$673 38.3%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 44.4% $299

Groceries & Markets

Ostia

$324 18.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 20.1% $65

Eating Out

Ostia

$244 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 17.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ostia

$237 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 42.2% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Ostia

$143 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 21% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Ostia

$78 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 6.9% $5.4

Getting Around

Ostia

$56 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 6.6% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $853 in Ostia versus $1,008 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.

Salaries run about 164% higher in Ostia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Ostia versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Ostia

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

21:04 9:04 PM

7 h behind Ostia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,400

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Ostia Playa del Carmen 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ostia
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

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

Yes – Ostia is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,634 per month in Ostia and $1,816 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.

Kindergarten costs $449 per month in Ostia and $204 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 25% more in Ostia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Ostia at $1,756. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ostia 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.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ostia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.