Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hartsville, SC and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,586 in Hartsville, SC, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Hartsville, SC
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Hartsville, SC Living Index
59

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

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Hartsville, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,586

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,586 in Hartsville, SC versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Hartsville, SC $2,586
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,845 in Hartsville, SC versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Hartsville, SC $3,845
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,104 in Hartsville, SC versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Hartsville, SC $5,104
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Hartsville, SC is roughly 115% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hartsville, SC is 91% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.60 $21.60

$10.86 MX$201

98.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.7 $88.7

$44.21 MX$817

100.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.39 $11.39

$11.76 MX$217

-3.15%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.68 MX$68.0

52.99%

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

$2.90 $2.90

$1.34 MX$24.79

116.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$0.82 MX$15.24

162.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.06 MX$56.6

101.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$4.94 MX$91.2

44.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.47 MX$27.17

-36.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.22 MX$40.95

64.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.48 MX$27.32

112.84%

Eggs

$4.62 $4.62

$2.49 MX$45.99

85.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$7.52 MX$139

100.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 $9.75

$7.96 MX$147

22.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.75 $17.75

$12.57 MX$232

41.21%

Apples (1kg)

$6.54 $6.54

$2.78 MX$51.3

135.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.43 MX$26.37

-9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.62 MX$48.37

65.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$2.14 MX$39.49

164.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.02 MX$37.38

50.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.99 MX$36.74

76.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.14 MX$21.01

85.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.20 MX$22.18

85.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.73 $8.73

$4.26 MX$78.7

104.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.75 $14.75

$10.02 MX$185

47.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.54 MX$28.41

45.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.66 MX$49.17

5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.53 MX$9.73

301.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 $3.09

$4.90 MX$90.6

-36.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$3.43 MX$63.5

-44.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.74 $17.74

$5.38 MX$99.4

229.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.45 MX$26.76

-30.34%

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

$31.2K $31.2K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

47.40%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

10.63%

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

$185 $185

$85.4 MX$1,577

116.93%

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

$57.3 $57.3

$23.46 MX$434

144.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$28.43 MX$525

133.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.12 $39.12

$62.2 MX$1,149

-37.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$14.75 $14.75

$5.10 MX$94.3

189.22%

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

$1,484 $1,484

$201 MX$3,715

637.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

510.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 $53.6

$44.39 MX$820

20.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 $55.3

$41.35 MX$764

33.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 $93.8

$72.7 MX$1,344

28.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$89.6 MX$1,656

61.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 $1,591

$979 MX$18.1K

62.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 $1,283

$373 MX$6,887

244.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,537 $2,537

$1,681 MX$31.1K

50.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,132 $2,132

$1,095 MX$20.2K

94.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,928 $2,928

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-25.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,319 $2,319

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-62.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

11.45

-42.27%

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

Last update for Hartsville, SC: October 19, 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

Hartsville, SC

$1.3K 49.6%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 71% $911

Groceries & Markets

Hartsville, SC

$408 15.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 36.7% $150

Eating Out

Hartsville, SC

$340 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 41.1% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hartsville, SC

$309 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 55.5% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Hartsville, SC

$156 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 28.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Hartsville, SC

$69 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 5.5% $3.8

Getting Around

Hartsville, SC

$21 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 144% $31

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 $1,591 in Hartsville, SC and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $89.0 in Hartsville, SC vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $408 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hartsville, SC

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

01:02 1:02 AM

1 h behind Hartsville, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Hartsville, SC Playa del Carmen 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hartsville, SC
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

Hartsville, SC vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 115% lower than in Hartsville, SC. 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 $3,879 in Hartsville, SC 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,591 in Hartsville, SC versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Hartsville, SC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,586 per month in Hartsville, SC versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 115% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,586 in Hartsville, SC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Hartsville, SC. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 115% less than in Hartsville, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.