Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Oak Harbor, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,280 in Oak Harbor, WA, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 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
159

Cost of Living Index in Oak Harbor, WA
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Oak Harbor, WA Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Oak Harbor, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,280

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Oak Harbor, WA

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 Oak Harbor, WA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,280 in Oak Harbor, WA.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Oak Harbor, WA $3,280

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,561 in Oak Harbor, WA.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Oak Harbor, WA $4,561

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,843 in Oak Harbor, WA.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Oak Harbor, WA $5,843

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 63% less than in Oak Harbor, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Oak Harbor, WA is 143% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$18.15 $18.15

-40.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$69.4 $69.4

-38.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$18.78 $18.78

-37.22%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$5.40 $5.40

-28.33%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.43 $2.43

-43.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.58 $1.58

-46.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$8.06 $8.06

-61.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$7.29 $7.29

-30.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.63 $1.63

-11.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$4.59 $4.59

-51.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$6.49 $6.49

-77.35%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$5.57 $5.57

-54.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$20.14 $20.14

-63.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$12.98 $12.98

-39.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$24.75 $24.75

-48.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$8.01 $8.01

-63.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.32 $1.32

9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$6.90 $6.90

-63.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$6.79 $6.79

-69.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$4.18 $4.18

-52.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$4.63 $4.63

-56.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$2.52 $2.52

-52.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$2.22 $2.22

-43.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$9.79 $9.79

-55.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$14.51 $14.51

-33.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.78 $2.78

-42.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.94 $3.94

-28.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$2.02 $2.02

-71.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$29.85 $29.85

-6.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$3.26 $3.26

52.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.53 $1.53

128.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$29.59 $29.59

-81.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.16 $1.16

26.72%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$36.0K $36.0K

-41.72%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$26.1K $26.1K

-8.40%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$378 $378

-77.71%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$63.4 $63.4

-62.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$97.3 $97.3

-70.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$34.66 $34.66

81.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$14.76 $14.76

-66.53%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$1,503 $1,503

-86.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$23.0K $23.0K

-82.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$58.2 $58.2

-25.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$38.18 $38.18

12.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$132 $132

-42.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$195 $195

-54.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$2,343 $2,343

-56.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$1,571 $1,571

-76.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$3,239 $3,239

-47.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$2,344 $2,344

-52.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$4,045 $4,045

-2.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$4,142 $4,142

48.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$3,295 $3,295

-77.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

63.57%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Oak Harbor, WA: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Oak Harbor, WA

$1.6K 47.9% 320% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Oak Harbor, WA

$529 16.1% 105% $270

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Oak Harbor, WA

$337 10.3% 66.8% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Oak Harbor, WA

$539 16.4% 293% $401

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Oak Harbor, WA

$190 5.8% 68.4% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Oak Harbor, WA

$64 2% 11.9% $8.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Oak Harbor, WA

$49 1.5% 7.1% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $2,343 in Oak Harbor, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oak Harbor, WA pays 337% 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: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $69.0 in Oak Harbor, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $529 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Oak Harbor, WA

🕒 Local time

17:00 5:00 PM

15:00 3:00 PM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

24,622

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Oak Harbor, WA 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Oak Harbor, WA

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 Oak Harbor, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 171% lower than in Oak Harbor, WA. 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 337% lower in Oak Harbor, WA. 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,343 in Oak Harbor, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 105% higher in Oak Harbor, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $69.0 in Oak Harbor, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,280 in Oak Harbor, WA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Oak Harbor, WA. 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 $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Oak Harbor, WA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 171% less than in Oak Harbor, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.