Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ashland, OH

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,365 in Ashland, OH, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Ashland, OH
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Ashland, OH Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ashland, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,365

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Ashland, OH

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 Ashland, OH actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,365 in Ashland, OH.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ashland, OH $2,365

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,244 in Ashland, OH.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Ashland, OH $3,244

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,124 in Ashland, OH.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Ashland, OH $4,124

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 49% less than in Ashland, OH, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Ashland, OH is 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$8.76 $8.76

23.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$35.20 $35.20

25.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$8.26 $8.26

42.37%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.45 $3.45

6.67%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.18 $2.18

-38.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.23 $1.23

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.74 $2.74

11.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$8.02 $8.02

-38.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.83 $0.83

77.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.84 $1.84

20.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$3.56 $3.56

-58.43%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$3.65 $3.65

-31.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$9.93 $9.93

-24.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$9.23 $9.23

-13.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$14.49 $14.49

-13.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.44 $3.44

-19.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.18 $1.18

21.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$3.23 $3.23

-18.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.42 $4.42

-51.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.99 $1.99

1.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.89 $2.89

-31.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$2.07 $2.07

-44.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.99 $1.99

-39.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$10.33 $10.33

-58.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$9.38 $9.38

6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.14 $2.14

-28.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.59 $2.59

2.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$4.92 $4.92

-89.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$200 $200

-86.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.99 $2.99

63.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.93 $0.93

268.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$18.04 $18.04

-70.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.04 $1.04

39.42%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$29.6K $29.6K

-28.47%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$26.1K $26.1K

-11.81%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$198 $198

-56.87%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$33.76 $33.76

-30.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$58.7 $58.7

-51.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$45.79 $45.79

35.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$8.08 $8.08

-36.88%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$890 $890

-77.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$20.3K $20.3K

-80.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$54.1 $54.1

-17.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$43.89 $43.89

-5.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$99.3 $99.3

-26.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$105 $105

-14.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$885 $885

10.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$1,157 $1,157

-67.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,325 $1,325

26.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,659 $1,659

-33.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,838 $1,838

114.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,968 $1,968

211.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$3,580 $3,580

-79.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.6

73.48%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Ashland, OH: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Ashland, OH

$1.2K 48.9% 211% $785

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Ashland, OH

$313 13.2% 21% $54

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Ashland, OH

$180 7.6% 10.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ashland, OH

$290 12.3% 112% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ashland, OH

$136 5.8% 21.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Ashland, OH

$62 2.6% 14.4% $10

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Ashland, OH

$227 9.6% 340% $175

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $885 in Ashland, OH. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashland, OH pays 385% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $35.00 in Ashland, OH. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $313, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Ashland, OH

🕒 Local time

04:33 4:33 AM

05:33 5:33 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

21,684

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ashland, OH 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ashland, OH

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 Ashland, OH: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 96% lower than in Ashland, OH. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 385% lower in Ashland, OH. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $885 in Ashland, OH. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $35.00 in Ashland, OH. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,365 in Ashland, OH – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,365 in Ashland, OH, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Ashland, OH. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Ashland, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.