Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ukiah, CA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,585 in Ukiah, CA, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Ukiah, CA
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Ukiah, CA Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Ukiah, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,585

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,585 per month in Ukiah, CA vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ukiah, CA $2,585
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,836 per month in Ukiah, CA vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ukiah, CA $3,836
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,087 per month in Ukiah, CA vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ukiah, CA $5,087
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Ukiah, CA costs about 115% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ukiah, CA sits 91% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.90 $20.90

$10.67 MX$200

95.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 $55.6

$43.80 MX$823

26.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 $11.27

$11.79 MX$221

-4.41%

Cappuccino

$5.53 $5.53

$3.79 MX$71.1

45.91%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$1.30 MX$24.36

132.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.83 MX$15.65

192.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.15 MX$59.1

62.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.86 $5.86

$4.93 MX$92.7

18.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.41 MX$26.46

-16.31%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.20 MX$41.23

90.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$1.47 MX$27.66

242.18%

Eggs

$6.27 $6.27

$2.50 MX$46.89

150.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.06 $12.06

$7.29 MX$137

65.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 $7.91

$7.95 MX$149

-0.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 $18.30

$12.86 MX$242

42.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.90 MX$54.4

52.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.38 MX$25.98

61.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.59 $8.59

$2.49 MX$46.78

244.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.18 $7.18

$2.03 MX$38.12

253.69%

Potato (1kg)

$6.78 $6.78

$2.02 MX$38.03

235.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.90 MX$35.74

44.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.14 MX$21.49

114.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.24 MX$23.27

169.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.82 $11.82

$4.27 MX$80.2

176.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.77 $19.77

$9.81 MX$184

101.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.59 MX$29.78

10.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.75 MX$51.6

44.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 $3.14

$4.76 MX$89.4

-34.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$3.25 MX$61.0

-43.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.25 $29.25

$5.39 MX$101

442.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.53 MX$28.70

-3.92%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$21.2K MX$398.4K

32.06%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$23.3K MX$436.9K

12.43%

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

$186 $186

$83.5 MX$1,568

123.19%

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

$65.2 $65.2

$23.19 MX$435

181.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.3 $67.3

$27.61 MX$519

143.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$106 $106

$56.4 MX$1,060

88.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

Cinema Ticket

$12.21 $12.21

$5.00 MX$93.9

144.20%

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

$1,475 $1,475

$207 MX$3,889

612.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.8K $42.8K

$5,231 MX$98.2K

717.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.77 $36.77

$43.45 MX$816

-15.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.88 $14.88

$42.54 MX$799

-65.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 $83.8

$72.8 MX$1,367

15.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$88.4 MX$1,660

61.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 $1,491

$995 MX$18.7K

49.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 $1,203

$382 MX$7,181

214.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,289 $2,289

$1,674 MX$31.4K

36.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,132 $2,132

$1,081 MX$20.3K

97.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,117 $4,117

$3,909 MX$73.4K

5.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,110 $4,110

$6,138 MX$115.3K

-33.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

11.45

-40.87%

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

Last update for Ukiah, CA: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ukiah, CA

$1.2K 46.6%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 68.2% $821

Groceries & Markets

Ukiah, CA

$468 18.1%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 44.9% $210

Eating Out

Ukiah, CA

$326 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 38.6% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ukiah, CA

$319 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 57.9% $185

Sport & Entertainment

Ukiah, CA

$131 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 49.2% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Ukiah, CA

$125 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 11.1% $14

Getting Around

Ukiah, CA

$12 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 310% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,491 in Ukiah, CA versus $995 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Ukiah, CA versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $468 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ukiah, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:28 2:28 AM

05:28 5:28 AM

3 h ahead of Ukiah, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,036

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ukiah, CA Playa del Carmen 4,010 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ukiah, CA
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

Ukiah, CA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ukiah, CA is pricier by about 115%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,877 per month in Ukiah, CA and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,491 in Ukiah, CA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,585 in Ukiah, CA and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 53% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,475 per month in Ukiah, CA and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Ukiah, CA at $2,585. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ukiah, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.