Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hasselt and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,021 in Hasselt, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Hasselt
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Hasselt Living Index
58

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

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Hasselt

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,021

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,021 per month in Hasselt vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hasselt $2,021
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,042 per month in Hasselt vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hasselt $3,042
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,063 per month in Hasselt vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hasselt $4,063
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Hasselt costs about 68% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hasselt sits 49% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.32 €20.05

$10.92 MX$204

104.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.7 €87.8

$43.37 MX$808

125.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.60 €12.22

$11.78 MX$220

15.45%

Cappuccino

$3.80 €3.41

$3.81 MX$71.0

-0.26%

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

$3.51 €3.16

$1.28 MX$23.90

174.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.92

$0.78 MX$14.59

316.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 €4.87

$3.17 MX$59.0

71.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.63

$4.93 MX$92.0

4.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.21

$1.41 MX$26.22

-4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.22 MX$41.33

9.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.42 MX$26.42

60.56%

Eggs

$3.23 €2.91

$2.52 MX$47.03

28.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 €7.19

$7.26 MX$135

10.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.71 €10.52

$7.70 MX$143

52.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.25 €19.98

$12.69 MX$237

75.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$2.78 MX$51.9

-26.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 €1.49

$1.37 MX$25.50

21.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.35

$2.55 MX$47.55

2.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.42

$2.12 MX$39.58

26.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.94 MX$36.13

-4.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.89 MX$35.16

-27.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 €0.90

$1.15 MX$21.37

-13.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.18 MX$21.98

-8.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.64 €11.36

$4.30 MX$80.1

193.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.84 €7.94

$9.95 MX$185

-11.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.58 MX$29.52

2.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.84

$2.67 MX$49.79

-23.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.15 €2.83

$0.55 MX$10.31

472.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.27 €28.99

$26.62 MX$496

21.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 €5.13

$4.97 MX$92.6

14.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 €2.35

$3.33 MX$62.1

-21.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.45 €32.74

$5.36 MX$99.8

580.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.44 MX$26.92

37.50%

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

$34.9K €31.4K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

69.08%

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

$33.8K €30.4K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

44.02%

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

$212 €191

$84.8 MX$1,581

150.16%

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

$19.34 €17.37

$23.41 MX$436

-17.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.00 €42.22

$28.66 MX$534

63.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.97 €25.12

$57.1 MX$1,063

-50.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.18 €8.25

$28.91 MX$539

-68.25%

Cinema Ticket

$15.00 €13.47

$5.14 MX$95.8

191.83%

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

$1,664 €1,494

$207 MX$3,851

705.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.0K €29.7K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

740.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 €104

$43.35 MX$808

166.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.3 €47.87

$41.44 MX$772

28.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.3

$74.2 MX$1,383

42.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$89.3 MX$1,664

49.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 €814

$980 MX$18.3K

-7.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 €719

$381 MX$7,099

110.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 €1,308

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-14.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 €1,095

$1,075 MX$20.0K

13.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,588 €4,122

$3,943 MX$73.5K

16.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,398 €2,154

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-61.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,045 €2,735

$735 MX$13.7K

314.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

11.45

-69.17%

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

Last update for Hasselt: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hasselt

$800 39.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 52.4% $419

Eating Out

Hasselt

$329 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 38.6% $127

Groceries & Markets

Hasselt

$308 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 17.3% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hasselt

$278 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 50.9% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Hasselt

$184 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 39.2% $72

Getting Around

Hasselt

$64 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 20.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Hasselt

$58 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 16.1% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $906 in Hasselt versus $980 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 in Hasselt are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Hasselt versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $308 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Hasselt

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

15:48 3:48 PM

6 h behind Hasselt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,694

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hasselt Playa del Carmen 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Hasselt
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

Hasselt vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,021 in Hasselt, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 40% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,032 per month in Hasselt and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $906 in Hasselt and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $1,664 per month in Hasselt and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Hasselt, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Hasselt at $2,021. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hasselt 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 $2,021 in Hasselt. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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