Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton, MT and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,151 in Hamilton, MT, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton, MT
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Hamilton, MT Living Index
59

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

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Hamilton, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,151

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,151 per month in Hamilton, MT vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hamilton, MT $2,151
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,548 per month in Hamilton, MT vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hamilton, MT $3,548
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,944 per month in Hamilton, MT vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hamilton, MT $4,944
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Hamilton, MT costs about 79% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hamilton, MT sits 59% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$37.24 $37.24

$10.86 MX$201

242.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.6 $68.6

$44.21 MX$817

55.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 $11.45

$11.76 MX$217

-2.64%

Cappuccino

$5.26 $5.26

$3.68 MX$68.0

42.93%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$1.34 MX$24.79

102.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.82 MX$15.24

145.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.07 $6.07

$3.06 MX$56.6

98.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 $7.19

$4.94 MX$91.2

45.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.47 MX$27.17

-27.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.22 MX$40.95

56.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$1.48 MX$27.32

165.54%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$2.49 MX$45.99

71.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$7.52 MX$139

86.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 $12.10

$7.96 MX$147

52.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.29 $16.29

$12.57 MX$232

29.59%

Apples (1kg)

$6.14 $6.14

$2.78 MX$51.3

120.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.43 MX$26.37

-8.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.62 MX$48.37

65.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.14 MX$39.49

121.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.02 MX$37.38

29.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.99 MX$36.74

42.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.14 MX$21.01

91.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.20 MX$22.18

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.30 $10.30

$4.26 MX$78.7

141.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$10.02 MX$185

47.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.54 MX$28.41

24.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.66 MX$49.17

37.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.53 MX$9.73

279.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 $3.28

$4.90 MX$90.6

-33.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.43 MX$63.5

-55.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.65 $33.65

$5.38 MX$99.4

525.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.45 MX$26.76

-29.66%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

20.25%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

11.46%

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

$201 $201

$85.4 MX$1,577

135.30%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$23.46 MX$434

151.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.0 $89.0

$28.43 MX$525

212.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.62 $41.62

$62.2 MX$1,149

-33.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 $12.05

$5.10 MX$94.3

136.27%

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

$1,308 $1,308

$201 MX$3,715

550.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K $25.6K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

548.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$44.39 MX$820

18.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.30 $46.30

$41.35 MX$764

11.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 $90.0

$72.7 MX$1,344

23.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$89.6 MX$1,656

25.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 $1,147

$979 MX$18.1K

17.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 $717

$373 MX$6,887

92.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,378 $2,378

$1,681 MX$31.1K

41.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,826 $1,826

$1,095 MX$20.2K

66.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,306 $2,306

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-41.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,405 $2,405

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-60.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,556 $3,556

$738 MX$13.6K

382.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.29

11.45

-36.33%

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

Last update for Hamilton, MT: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton, MT

$717 33.3%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 48% $344

Eating Out

Hamilton, MT

$459 21.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 56.4% $259

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton, MT

$407 18.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 36.5% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton, MT

$349 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 60.6% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton, MT

$136 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 17.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton, MT

$66 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 10.2% $6.7

Getting Around

Hamilton, MT

$19 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 172% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,147 in Hamilton, MT versus $979 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 run about 382% higher in Hamilton, MT, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Hamilton, MT versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $407 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hamilton, MT

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

1 h ahead of Hamilton, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,447

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Hamilton, MT Playa del Carmen 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Hamilton, MT
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

Hamilton, MT vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,151 in Hamilton, MT, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 79% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,227 per month in Hamilton, MT and $1,806 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,151 in Hamilton, MT and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 79%.

Kindergarten costs $1,308 per month in Hamilton, MT and $201 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 $1,204, than in Hamilton, MT at $2,151. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamilton, MT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,151 in Hamilton, MT. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hamilton, MT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.