Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamrun and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,654 in Hamrun, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hamrun
🇲🇹 Malta
$1,654
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,654 in Hamrun versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Hamrun $1,654
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,564 in Hamrun versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Hamrun $2,564
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,475 in Hamrun versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Hamrun $3,475
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Hamrun is roughly 37% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hamrun is 22% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hamrun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.57 €11.18
$10.86 MX$201
15.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.0 €48.93
$44.21 MX$817
24.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.90 €7.92
$11.76 MX$217
-24.32%
Cappuccino
$2.01 €1.79
$3.68 MX$68.0
-45.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 €1.76
$1.34 MX$24.79
47.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.21
$0.82 MX$15.24
65.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.94 €1.72
$3.06 MX$56.6
-36.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.02
$4.94 MX$91.2
-54.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hamrun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 €1.12
$1.47 MX$27.17
-14.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.34 €1.19
$2.22 MX$40.95
-39.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.29 €3.82
$1.48 MX$27.32
189.86%
Eggs
$4.33 €3.85
$2.49 MX$45.99
73.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.08 €7.19
$7.52 MX$139
7.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.33 €9.19
$7.96 MX$147
29.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.24 €16.23
$12.57 MX$232
45.11%
Apples (1kg)
$4.11 €3.65
$2.78 MX$51.3
47.84%
Banana (1kg)
$2.83 €2.51
$1.43 MX$26.37
97.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.54 €3.15
$2.62 MX$48.37
35.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.26 €2.90
$2.14 MX$39.49
52.34%
Potato (1kg)
$2.47 €2.19
$2.02 MX$37.38
22.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 €1.77
$1.99 MX$36.74
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 €2.02
$1.14 MX$21.01
99.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.35 €1.20
$1.20 MX$22.18
12.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.59 €5.87
$4.26 MX$78.7
54.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.05 €7.16
$10.02 MX$185
-19.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 €1.51
$1.54 MX$28.41
10.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 €2.16
$2.66 MX$49.17
-8.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Hamrun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.53 €2.25
$0.53 MX$9.73
377.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.51 MX$508
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.67 €5.05
$4.90 MX$90.6
15.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.22 €1.97
$3.43 MX$63.5
-35.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.95 €23.97
$5.38 MX$99.4
400.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 €1.32
$1.45 MX$26.76
2.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.7K €33.6K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
78.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.2K €34.8K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
70.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamrun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 €90.8
$85.4 MX$1,577
19.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.76 €22.91
$23.46 MX$434
9.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.46 €24.42
$28.43 MX$525
-3.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hamrun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.9 €56.0
$62.2 MX$1,149
1.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.68 MX$530
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.24 €9.11
$5.10 MX$94.3
100.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hamrun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$369 €329
$201 MX$3,715
83.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K €10.0K
$3,947 MX$72.9K
185.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hamrun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.6 €77.9
$44.39 MX$820
97.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.99 €36.46
$41.35 MX$764
-0.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.7 €86.9
$72.7 MX$1,344
34.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 €69.9
$89.6 MX$1,656
-12.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hamrun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$842 €749
$979 MX$18.1K
-14.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$747 €664
$373 MX$6,887
100.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,560 €1,388
$1,681 MX$31.1K
-7.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,361 €1,211
$1,095 MX$20.2K
24.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,947 €3,511
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-0.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,795 €2,486
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-54.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hamrun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$738 MX$13.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.9
11.45
-74.67%

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

Last update for Hamrun: 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
Hamrun
$747
Playa del Carmen
$373 50.1% $374
Groceries & Markets
Hamrun
$325
Playa del Carmen
$258 20.5% $67
Eating Out
Hamrun
$179
Playa del Carmen
$200 11.9% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamrun
$155
Playa del Carmen
$137 11.6% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Hamrun
$137
Playa del Carmen
$112 18.6% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Hamrun
$83
Playa del Carmen
$72 13.2% $11
Getting Around
Hamrun
$27 *
Playa del Carmen
$52 92.3% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $842 in Hamrun and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Hamrun vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇹 Hamrun
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
11:51 11:51 AM
04:51 4:51 AM
7 h behind Hamrun
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,000
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hamrun Playa del Carmen 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hamrun
  • 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
Hamrun vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Hamrun?
Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 37% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $2,480 in Hamrun and $1,806 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 Hamrun and Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $842 in Hamrun versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Hamrun and in Playa del Carmen?
Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Hamrun. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Hamrun and in Playa del Carmen?
All in, you'll spend $1,654 per month in Hamrun versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Hamrun or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,654 in Hamrun, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Hamrun. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Hamrun or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Hamrun, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Hamrun or Playa del Carmen?
Safety-wise, Hamrun and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Hamrun. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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