Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamont-Achel and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,249 in Hamont-Achel, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hamont-Achel, Belgium
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Hamont-Achel
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,249
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,249 in Hamont-Achel versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Hamont-Achel $2,249
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,279 in Hamont-Achel versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Hamont-Achel $3,279
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,309 in Hamont-Achel versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Hamont-Achel $4,309
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Hamont-Achel is roughly 87% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hamont-Achel is 66% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hamont-Achel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.57 €20.16
$10.67 MX$198
111.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.6 €79.1
$43.80 MX$813
102.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.34 €13.70
$11.79 MX$219
30.11%
Cappuccino
$4.51 €4.03
$3.79 MX$70.3
19.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.78 €3.38
$1.30 MX$24.09
190.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 €2.77
$0.83 MX$15.48
273.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.54 €4.95
$3.15 MX$58.4
75.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.65 €5.04
$4.93 MX$91.6
14.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hamont-Achel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.35 €1.20
$1.41 MX$26.16
-4.26%
White Bread (500g)
$2.82 €2.52
$2.20 MX$40.77
28.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.83 €2.53
$1.47 MX$27.35
92.52%
Eggs
$5.16 €4.61
$2.50 MX$46.37
106.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.81 €15.91
$7.29 MX$135
144.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.10 €11.70
$7.95 MX$148
64.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.14 €19.78
$12.86 MX$239
72.16%
Apples (1kg)
$3.01 €2.69
$2.90 MX$53.8
3.79%
Banana (1kg)
$2.43 €2.17
$1.38 MX$25.69
76.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.77 €2.48
$2.49 MX$46.26
11.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.02 €3.59
$2.03 MX$37.70
98.03%
Potato (1kg)
$2.55 €2.28
$2.02 MX$37.61
26.24%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 €1.94
$1.90 MX$35.35
14.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.80 €1.60
$1.14 MX$21.25
57.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 €1.08
$1.24 MX$23.01
-2.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.46 €12.03
$4.27 MX$79.3
215.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.71 €8.67
$9.81 MX$182
-1.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.62 €2.34
$1.59 MX$29.45
64.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 €2.68
$2.75 MX$51.0
9.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Hamont-Achel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.03 €2.71
$0.51 MX$9.56
494.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.5 €48.65
$27.39 MX$509
98.87%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.89 €2.58
$4.76 MX$88.4
-39.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.25 €2.01
$3.25 MX$60.3
-30.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.01 €36.63
$5.39 MX$100
660.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.17 €1.93
$1.53 MX$28.38
41.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.9K €31.2K
$21.2K MX$393.9K
64.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.0K €32.1K
$23.3K MX$432.0K
54.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamont-Achel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$277 €248
$83.5 MX$1,550
232.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.79 €18.57
$23.19 MX$431
-10.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.7 €47.08
$27.61 MX$513
90.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hamont-Achel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.94 €33.00
$56.4 MX$1,048
-34.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.63 €17.54
$28.19 MX$524
-30.37%
Cinema Ticket
$15.60 €13.93
$5.00 MX$92.9
212.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hamont-Achel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,632 €1,458
$207 MX$3,846
688.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$37.3K €33.3K
$5,231 MX$97.1K
613.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hamont-Achel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.5
$43.45 MX$807
138.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.31 €40.47
$42.54 MX$790
6.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 €99.6
$72.8 MX$1,351
53.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$148 €132
$88.4 MX$1,641
67.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hamont-Achel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$908 €811
$995 MX$18.5K
-8.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$826 €738
$382 MX$7,102
116.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,379 €1,231
$1,674 MX$31.1K
-17.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,144 €1,022
$1,081 MX$20.1K
5.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,216 €3,765
$3,909 MX$72.6K
7.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,943 €2,628
$6,138 MX$114.0K
-52.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hamont-Achel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$832 MX$15.5K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.71
11.45
-67.60%

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

Last update for Hamont-Achel: 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
Hamont-Achel
$826
Playa del Carmen
$382 53.7% $444
Groceries & Markets
Hamont-Achel
$392
Playa del Carmen
$257 34.3% $135
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamont-Achel
$351
Playa del Carmen
$134 61.7% $217
Eating Out
Hamont-Achel
$347
Playa del Carmen
$200 42.3% $147
Clothing & Footwear
Hamont-Achel
$184
Playa del Carmen
$111 39.5% $73
Getting Around
Hamont-Achel
$81
Playa del Carmen
$50 37.5% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Hamont-Achel
$68
Playa del Carmen
$66 2.5% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $908 in Hamont-Achel and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $89 in Hamont-Achel vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇪 Hamont-Achel
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
13:38 1:38 PM
07:38 7:38 AM
6 h behind Hamont-Achel
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
14,000
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hamont-Achel Playa del Carmen 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hamont-Achel
  • 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
Hamont-Achel vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Hamont-Achel?
Playa del Carmen is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $3,373 in Hamont-Achel 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.
What is the rent difference between Hamont-Achel and Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $908 in Hamont-Achel versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Hamont-Achel and in Playa del Carmen?
All in, you’ll spend $2,249 per month in Hamont-Achel versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 50% less than in Hamont-Achel. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Hamont-Achel or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,249 in Hamont-Achel, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Hamont-Achel. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Hamont-Achel or in Playa del Carmen?
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.

Hamont-Achel vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

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