Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ilesha

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilesha: $477 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Ilesha, Nigeria
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Ilesha
🇳🇬 Nigeria
$477
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $477 in Ilesha, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Ilesha $477

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $804 in Ilesha, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Ilesha $804

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,131 in Ilesha, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Ilesha $1,131

Playa del Carmen costs about 152% more than Ilesha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ilesha are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Ilesha 65% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Ilesha
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$204
$3.63 ₦4,859
200.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$49.95 ₦66.9K
-13.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$220
$7.33 ₦9,819
60.71%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$2.74 ₦3,679
39.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.90
$0.41 ₦548
212.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.59
$0.22 ₦294
254.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$1.02 ₦1,364
210.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.0
$2.05 ₦2,744
140.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Ilesha
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$3.09 ₦4,148
-54.37%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.33
$1.48 ₦1,990
50.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.42
$1.27 ₦1,697
11.81%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.03
$2.23 ₦2,982
13.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$3.55 ₦4,760
104.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$3.78 ₦5,071
103.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$237
$4.33 ₦5,807
193.07%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$1.69 ₦2,261
64.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.50
$1.30 ₦1,746
5.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.55
$1.08 ₦1,447
136.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.58
$1.48 ₦1,988
43.24%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.13
$1.61 ₦2,154
20.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.16
$1.50 ₦2,016
26.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.37
$0.89 ₦1,190
29.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.98
$0.36 ₦487
227.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.1
$0.59 ₦787
628.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$2.49 ₦3,331
299.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.52
$0.51 ₦679
209.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.79
$0.50 ₦674
434.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Ilesha
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.31
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$496
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.6
$0.68 ₦912
630.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$0.90 ₦1,200
270.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$2.21 ₦2,958
142.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.92
$0.91 ₦1,217
58.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.2K
$11.1K ₦14.9M
85.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.4K
$29.3K ₦39.3M
-19.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Ilesha
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,581
$110 ₦147.1K
-22.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$14.50 ₦19.4K
61.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$32.73 ₦43.9K
-12.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Ilesha
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.8
$6.15 ₦8,241
-16.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Ilesha
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,851
$664 ₦889.8K
-68.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$20.0K ₦26.8M
-80.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Ilesha
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$14.39 ₦19.3K
201.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$17.99 ₦24.1K
130.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,383
$35.77 ₦47.9K
107.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,664
$48.26 ₦64.7K
84.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Ilesha
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.3K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,099
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Ilesha
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
18.39
-37.74%

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 Ilesha: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Ilesha
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Ilesha
$155 39.3% $100
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Ilesha
$96 52.8% $107
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Ilesha
$157 14.7% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Ilesha
$52 53.1% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Ilesha
$12 * 81.7% $55
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Ilesha
$5.2 * 89.8% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $50 in Ilesha. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $155 in Ilesha – so Ilesha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇳🇬 Ilesha
🕒 Local time
12:46 12:46 PM
18:46 6:46 PM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
277,904
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.7 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Ilesha 9,900 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Ilesha

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 Ilesha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ilesha cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 152%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $715 in Ilesha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Ilesha?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $50 in Ilesha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Ilesha?
Groceries cost about 65% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Ilesha?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ilesha, where all-in costs run around $477, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Ilesha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Ilesha?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $477 in Ilesha to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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