Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ocho Rios

For one person, living is cheaper in Ocho Rios: $1,089 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Ocho Rios
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Ocho Rios Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Ocho Rios

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,089

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Ocho Rios

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,089 in Ocho Rios.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Ocho Rios $1,089

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,565 in Ocho Rios.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Ocho Rios $1,565

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,040 in Ocho Rios.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Ocho Rios $2,040

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 11% more expensive than in Ocho Rios, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Ocho Rios 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$9.32 JMD 1,473

15.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$63.4 JMD 10.0K

-32.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$6.73 JMD 1,063

75.19%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.07 JMD 486

26.06%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.16 JMD 183

18.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.67 JMD 107

25.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.22 JMD 350

39.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$3.08 JMD 486

64.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$3.94 JMD 623

-63.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.78 JMD 439

-19.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.61 JMD 255

-8.70%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$3.58 JMD 566

-29.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$11.47 JMD 1,813

-36.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$6.19 JMD 978

26.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$10.14 JMD 1,602

26.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$5.86 JMD 926

-50.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$3.12 JMD 493

-53.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$6.42 JMD 1,015

-60.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$2.44 JMD 385

-15.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$3.28 JMD 518

-39.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$2.54 JMD 401

-20.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$2.85 JMD 451

-58.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.40 JMD 221

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$8.54 JMD 1,349

-48.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$9.25 JMD 1,462

3.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.88 JMD 454

-44.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.86 JMD 609

-27.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.95 JMD 151

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.22 JMD 193

308.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$3.22 JMD 509

8.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$6.33 JMD 1,000

-14.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.43 JMD 227

2.80%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

-51.96%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

-27.68%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$169 JMD 26.7K

-50.09%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$19.74 JMD 3,118

21.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$53.6 JMD 8,471

-45.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$11.47 JMD 1,812

-56.93%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$358 JMD 56.6K

-43.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$8,091 JMD 1.3M

-51.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$23.39 JMD 3,696

86.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$31.00 JMD 4,897

39.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

-0.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$104 JMD 16.4K

-14.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$378 JMD 59.7K

166.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$188 JMD 29.7K

98.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

9.45

21.16%

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 Ocho Rios: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Ocho Rios

$188 17.3% 49.7% $186

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Ocho Rios

$353 32.4% 36.7% $95

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Ocho Rios

$156 14.3% 22.8% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Ocho Rios

$242 22.2% 76.4% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Ocho Rios

$105 9.7% 6.8% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Ocho Rios

$23 * 2.1% 68.5% $50

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Ocho Rios

$21 * 1.9% 59.8% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $378 in Ocho Rios. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $63.0 in Ocho Rios for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $353 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇲 Ocho Rios

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

26,503

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, 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).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ocho Rios 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ocho Rios

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 Ocho Rios: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ocho Rios is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,816 in Playa del Carmen and $1,634 in Ocho Rios to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $378 in Ocho Rios. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $358 in Ocho Rios. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ocho Rios – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,089 in Ocho Rios versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ocho Rios but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ocho Rios the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ocho Rios is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Ocho Rios gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.