Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulsa, OK and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,227 in Tulsa, OK, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Tulsa, OK, United States
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Tulsa, OK
🇺🇸 United States
$2,227
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tulsa, OK and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tulsa, OK and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,227 per month in Tulsa, OK vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tulsa, OK $2,227
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,282 per month in Tulsa, OK vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tulsa, OK $3,282
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,337 per month in Tulsa, OK vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tulsa, OK $4,337
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Tulsa, OK costs about 85% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tulsa, OK sits 64% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tulsa, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.73 $15.73
$10.92 MX$204
44.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.6 $73.6
$43.37 MX$808
69.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.04 $10.04
$11.78 MX$220
-14.77%
Cappuccino
$5.06 $5.06
$3.81 MX$71.0
32.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 $2.27
$1.28 MX$23.90
77.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 $1.73
$0.78 MX$14.59
121.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.08 $5.08
$3.17 MX$59.0
60.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.03 $7.03
$4.93 MX$92.0
42.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tulsa, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 $1.09
$1.41 MX$26.22
-22.70%
White Bread (500g)
$3.58 $3.58
$2.22 MX$41.33
61.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.55 $5.55
$1.42 MX$26.42
290.85%
Eggs
$4.04 $4.04
$2.52 MX$47.03
60.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.23 $15.23
$7.26 MX$135
109.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.21 $12.21
$7.70 MX$143
58.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.24 $15.24
$12.69 MX$237
20.09%
Apples (1kg)
$4.43 $4.43
$2.78 MX$51.9
59.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 $1.68
$1.37 MX$25.50
22.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.72 $3.72
$2.55 MX$47.55
45.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.53 $3.53
$2.12 MX$39.58
66.51%
Potato (1kg)
$2.59 $2.59
$1.94 MX$36.13
33.51%
Onion (1kg)
$2.89 $2.89
$1.89 MX$35.16
52.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.92 $1.92
$1.15 MX$21.37
66.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.22 $2.22
$1.18 MX$21.98
88.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.10 $10.10
$4.30 MX$80.1
134.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.35 $13.35
$9.95 MX$185
34.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.00 $2.00
$1.58 MX$29.52
26.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.81 $4.81
$2.67 MX$49.79
80.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Tulsa, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.79 $1.79
$0.55 MX$10.31
225.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.22 $44.22
$26.62 MX$496
66.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.96 $1.96
$4.97 MX$92.6
-60.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.25 $1.25
$3.33 MX$62.1
-62.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.62 $29.62
$5.36 MX$99.8
452.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.91 $0.91
$1.44 MX$26.92
-36.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.6K $26.6K
$20.7K MX$385.2K
28.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K $26.1K
$23.5K MX$437.4K
11.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tulsa, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$247 $247
$84.8 MX$1,581
191.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$69.1 $69.1
$23.41 MX$436
194.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$64.0 $64.0
$28.66 MX$534
123.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tulsa, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.26 $43.26
$57.1 MX$1,063
-24.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.35 $20.35
$28.91 MX$539
-29.61%
Cinema Ticket
$13.74 $13.74
$5.14 MX$95.8
167.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tulsa, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,194 $1,194
$207 MX$3,851
478.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.3K $25.3K
$3,927 MX$73.2K
544.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tulsa, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$73.6 $73.6
$43.35 MX$808
69.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$61.1 $61.1
$41.44 MX$772
47.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 $121
$74.2 MX$1,383
62.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$148 $148
$89.3 MX$1,664
65.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tulsa, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,280 $1,280
$980 MX$18.3K
30.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$866 $866
$381 MX$7,099
127.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,500 $2,500
$1,708 MX$31.8K
46.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,380 $1,380
$1,075 MX$20.0K
28.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,786 $1,786
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-54.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,652 $1,652
$6,158 MX$114.8K
-73.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tulsa, OK
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,494 $3,494
$735 MX$13.7K
375.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.59
11.45
-42.45%

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

Last update for Tulsa, OK: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tulsa, OK
$866
Playa del Carmen
$381 56% $485
Groceries & Markets
Tulsa, OK
$397
Playa del Carmen
$255 35.8% $142
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tulsa, OK
$380
Playa del Carmen
$137 64% $244
Eating Out
Tulsa, OK
$272
Playa del Carmen
$202 25.6% $70
Clothing & Footwear
Tulsa, OK
$182
Playa del Carmen
$112 38.5% $70
Sport & Entertainment
Tulsa, OK
$71
Playa del Carmen
$67 4.8% $3.4
Getting Around
Tulsa, OK
$60
Playa del Carmen
$50 15.4% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,280 in Tulsa, OK versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Tulsa, OK are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Tulsa, OK versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $397 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Tulsa, OK
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
14:03 2:03 PM
14:03 2:03 PM
Same time as Tulsa, OK
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
413,066
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tulsa, OK Playa del Carmen 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tulsa, OK
  • Playa del Carmen

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
Tulsa, OK vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Tulsa, OK?
Yes – Tulsa, OK is pricier by about 85%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,341 per month in Tulsa, OK and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,280 in Tulsa, OK.
What are total monthly expenses in Tulsa, OK and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,227 in Tulsa, OK and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 85%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 40% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Tulsa, OK or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Tulsa, OK at $2,227. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tulsa, OK it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Tulsa, OK or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tulsa, OK makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Tulsa, OK vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?