Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Accra

For one person, living is cheaper in Accra: $1,077 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Accra
Learn more

Accra Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Accra

🇬🇭 Ghana

$1,077

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Accra

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Accra actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,077 in Accra, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Accra $1,077

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,708 in Accra, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Accra $1,708

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,340 in Accra, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Accra $2,340

Playa del Carmen costs about 12% more than Accra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Accra are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Accra 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$8.38 GHS 97.1

30.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$51.6 GHS 597

-15.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$10.25 GHS 119

14.93%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$4.59 GHS 53.2

-16.99%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.62 GHS 18.71

-20.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.47 GHS 5.48

65.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.90 GHS 22.01

66.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.19 GHS 25.32

125.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$3.59 GHS 41.53

-60.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.62 GHS 18.79

37.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$3.08 GHS 35.70

-53.90%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.62 GHS 30.36

-3.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.92 GHS 138

-39.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$7.37 GHS 85.3

4.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$9.96 GHS 115

27.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.58 GHS 41.45

-22.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.39 GHS 16.06

-1.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.78 GHS 20.61

43.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$3.73 GHS 43.20

-43.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$2.79 GHS 32.33

-30.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.77 GHS 32.13

-31.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.74 GHS 8.63

55.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.62 GHS 7.14

90.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.63 GHS 30.49

63.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$7.14 GHS 82.6

39.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.25 GHS 14.44

26.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.36 GHS 27.37

13.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.52 GHS 17.64

-63.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$41.35 GHS 479

-35.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.76 GHS 20.36

182.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.27 GHS 14.74

162.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$4.24 GHS 49.04

26.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.31 GHS 15.17

9.92%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$7,861 GHS 91.0K

162.90%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$20.1K GHS 232.9K

16.68%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$73.3 GHS 849

15.63%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$19.53 GHS 226

19.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$42.72 GHS 495

-32.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$70.6 GHS 818

-19.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$18.31 GHS 212

57.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$12.80 GHS 148

-59.84%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$468 GHS 5,418

-55.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$18.5K GHS 214.1K

-78.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$14.14 GHS 164

206.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$18.57 GHS 215

123.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$36.87 GHS 427

101.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$52.4 GHS 607

70.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$686 GHS 7,942

42.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$280 GHS 3,247

35.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,077 GHS 12.5K

58.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$474 GHS 5,492

126.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,839 GHS 32.9K

38.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,425 GHS 16.5K

332.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$176 GHS 2,034

318.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

26.75

-57.20%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Accra: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Accra

$280 26% 26.4% $100

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Accra

$279 25.9% 9.5% $24

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Accra

$175 16.3% 13.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Accra

$136 12.6% 0.9% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Accra

$55 5.1% 50.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Accra

$96 8.9% 42.9% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Accra

$56 5.2% 10.1% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $686 in Accra. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $52 in Accra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $279 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇭 Accra

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

14:04 2:04 PM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,388,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 GHS = 8.64 USD

100 GHS = 7.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 11.58 GHS (100 GHS = 8.64 USD). 1 EUR = 12.89 GHS (100 GHS = 7.76 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Accra 9,470 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Accra

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,077 in Accra – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,615 in Accra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Accra, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $686 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $52 in Accra. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,077 in Accra, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,077 in Accra to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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