Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,466 in Medina, OH, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Medina, OH, United States
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Medina, OH
🇺🇸 United States
$2,466
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,466 in Medina, OH, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Medina, OH $2,466

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,044 in Medina, OH, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Medina, OH $4,044

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,622 in Medina, OH, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Medina, OH $5,622

Playa del Carmen is about 51% cheaper than Medina, OH, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Medina, OH is 81% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Medina, OH
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$18.29 $18.29
-40.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$60.7 $60.7
-28.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$9.88 $9.88
19.23%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$4.87 $4.87
-21.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$2.04 $2.04
-37.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$0.99 $0.99
-21.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$5.03 $5.03
-36.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$6.91 $6.91
-28.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Medina, OH
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$0.99 $0.99
42.42%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$3.59 $3.59
-38.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$4.45 $4.45
-68.09%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$3.88 $3.88
-35.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$8.92 $8.92
-18.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$12.84 $12.84
-40.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$17.60 $17.60
-27.90%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$5.17 $5.17
-46.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$1.46 $1.46
-6.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$4.19 $4.19
-39.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$5.51 $5.51
-61.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$1.29 $1.29
50.39%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$2.48 $2.48
-23.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$2.28 $2.28
-49.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$1.96 $1.96
-39.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$8.78 $8.78
-51.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$13.02 $13.02
-23.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$1.46 $1.46
8.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$1.47 $1.47
81.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Medina, OH
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$4.06 $4.06
22.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$1.53 $1.53
117.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$21.15 $21.15
-74.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$1.05 $1.05
37.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$34.0K $34.0K
-39.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$26.4K $26.4K
-10.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Medina, OH
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$251 $251
-66.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$51.7 $51.7
-54.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$70.1 $70.1
-59.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Medina, OH
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$37.46 $37.46
52.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$11.98 $11.98
-57.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Medina, OH
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$1,790 $1,790
-88.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$34.4K $34.4K
-88.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Medina, OH
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$45.84 $45.84
-5.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$47.89 $47.89
-13.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$75.0 $75.0
-1.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$73.7 $73.7
21.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Medina, OH
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$1,029 $1,029
-4.82%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$1,246 $1,246
-69.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$2,728 $2,728
-37.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$3,047 $3,047
-64.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Medina, OH
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
6.25
83.20%

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 Medina, OH: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Medina, OH
$1.2K 227% $866
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Medina, OH
$380 49% $125
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Medina, OH
$286 41.1% $83
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Medina, OH
$372 172% $236
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Medina, OH
$109 2.3% $2.6
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Medina, OH
$61 8.7% $5.9
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Medina, OH
$12 * 76.8% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,029 in Medina, OH. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $61 in Medina, OH. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $380 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇺🇸 Medina, OH
🕒 Local time
21:05 9:05 PM
21:05 9:05 PM
Same time as Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
26,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Medina, OH 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Medina, 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 Medina, OH: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Medina, OH?
Medina, OH costs about 105% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Medina, OH?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,699 in Medina, OH. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Playa del Carmen compared to Medina, OH?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,029 in Medina, OH. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
How do dining costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Medina, OH?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $61 in Medina, OH. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Playa del Carmen or in Medina, OH?
Groceries cost about 49% more in Medina, OH, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Medina, OH?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Medina, OH at $2,466. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medina, OH it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
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.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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