Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haines, AK and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,602 in Haines, AK, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Haines, AK
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Haines, AK Living Index
57

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

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Haines, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$2,602

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,602 in Haines, AK versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Haines, AK $2,602
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,927 in Haines, AK versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Haines, AK $3,927
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,252 in Haines, AK versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Haines, AK $5,252
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Haines, AK is roughly 116% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Haines, AK is 92% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.19 $20.19

$10.67 MX$199

89.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 $67.9

$43.80 MX$815

55.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 $11.53

$11.79 MX$219

-2.21%

Cappuccino

$5.34 $5.34

$3.79 MX$70.5

40.90%

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

$2.43 $2.43

$1.30 MX$24.14

86.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.83 MX$15.51

145.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.23 $5.23

$3.15 MX$58.6

66.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.02 $7.02

$4.93 MX$91.8

42.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.41 MX$26.22

-17.73%

White Bread (500g)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.20 MX$40.86

86.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.47 MX$27.40

176.87%

Eggs

$3.78 $3.78

$2.50 MX$46.47

51.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.12 $14.12

$7.29 MX$136

93.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.06 $11.06

$7.95 MX$148

39.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.31 $15.31

$12.86 MX$239

19.05%

Apples (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$2.90 MX$53.9

86.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.38 MX$25.74

13.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.49 MX$46.36

50.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.03 MX$37.78

106.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.02 MX$37.69

58.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.90 MX$35.42

46.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.14 MX$21.30

61.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.24 MX$23.06

87.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.40 $10.40

$4.27 MX$79.5

143.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.39 $15.39

$9.81 MX$183

56.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.59 MX$29.51

24.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.75 MX$51.1

25.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.51 MX$9.58

347.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.4 $63.4

$27.39 MX$510

131.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 $3.22

$4.76 MX$88.6

-32.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$3.25 MX$60.5

-51.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.50 $26.50

$5.39 MX$100

391.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.53 MX$28.44

-9.80%

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

$28.9K $28.9K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

36.04%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

18.22%

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

$203 $203

$83.5 MX$1,554

142.89%

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

$57.7 $57.7

$23.19 MX$431

148.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.1 $71.1

$27.61 MX$514

157.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.33 $40.33

$56.4 MX$1,050

-28.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$15.91 $15.91

$5.00 MX$93.1

218.20%

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

$1,330 $1,330

$207 MX$3,854

542.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K $17.6K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

235.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.07 $46.07

$43.45 MX$809

6.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.70 $43.70

$42.54 MX$792

2.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 $81.8

$72.8 MX$1,354

12.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$88.4 MX$1,645

36.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 $1,561

$995 MX$18.5K

56.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 $1,267

$382 MX$7,116

231.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,542 $2,542

$1,674 MX$31.2K

51.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,361 $2,361

$1,081 MX$20.1K

118.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,427 $2,427

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-37.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,296 $2,296

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-62.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 Haines, AK: November 1, 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

Haines, AK

$1.3K 48.7%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 69.8% $885

Groceries & Markets

Haines, AK

$398 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 35.3% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haines, AK

$332 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 59.5% $197

Eating Out

Haines, AK

$318 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 37.1% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Haines, AK

$132 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 15.5% $20

Getting Around

Haines, AK

$84 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 39.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Haines, AK

$72 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 7.9% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,561 in Haines, AK and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Haines, AK vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Haines, AK

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:43 4:43 PM

20:43 8:43 PM

4 h ahead of Haines, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Haines, AK Playa del Carmen 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Haines, AK
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

Haines, AK vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Haines, AK. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,904 in Haines, AK and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen 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: $1,561 in Haines, AK versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,602 per month in Haines, AK versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 57% less than in Haines, AK. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,602 in Haines, AK, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Haines, AK. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Haines, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.