Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hella and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,723 in Hella, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. The total is higher in Hella despite lower rent and utilities.

82

Cost of Living Index in Hella
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Hella Living Index
57

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

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Hella

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,723

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in Hella vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hella $1,723
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,927 per month in Hella vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hella $2,927
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,131 per month in Hella vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hella $4,131
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Hella costs about 43% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hella sits 27% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.22 ISK 3,790

$10.67 MX$199

192.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 ISK 14.7K

$43.80 MX$815

177.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.24 ISK 3,307

$11.79 MX$219

131.04%

Cappuccino

$6.89 ISK 836

$3.79 MX$70.5

81.79%

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

$3.25 ISK 395

$1.30 MX$24.14

150.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ISK 374

$0.83 MX$15.51

271.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.16 ISK 1,719

$3.15 MX$58.6

349.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.30 ISK 1,493

$4.93 MX$91.8

149.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ISK 243

$1.41 MX$26.22

41.84%

White Bread (500g)

$4.30 ISK 522

$2.20 MX$40.86

95.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 ISK 444

$1.47 MX$27.40

148.98%

Eggs

$7.27 ISK 883

$2.50 MX$46.46

190.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.85 ISK 2,652

$7.29 MX$136

199.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.10 ISK 2,925

$7.95 MX$148

203.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 ISK 4,995

$12.86 MX$239

219.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 ISK 408

$2.90 MX$53.9

15.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 ISK 343

$1.38 MX$25.74

105.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 ISK 390

$2.49 MX$46.35

28.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.56 ISK 797

$2.03 MX$37.77

223.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ISK 475

$2.02 MX$37.68

93.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ISK 205

$1.90 MX$35.42

-11.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.64 ISK 442

$1.14 MX$21.30

219.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 ISK 223

$1.24 MX$23.05

47.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 ISK 1,696

$4.27 MX$79.5

227.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.32 ISK 2,832

$9.81 MX$183

137.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.66 ISK 445

$1.59 MX$29.51

130.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ISK 423

$2.75 MX$51.1

26.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.76 ISK 821

$4.76 MX$88.6

42.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 ISK 333

$3.25 MX$60.5

-15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.8 ISK 9,805

$5.39 MX$100

1398.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.53 MX$28.44

37.25%

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

$67.9K ISK 8.2M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

219.90%

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

$56.3K ISK 6.8M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

141.82%

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

$96.8 ISK 11.8K

$83.5 MX$1,554

15.98%

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

$32.49 ISK 3,944

$23.19 MX$431

40.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.0 ISK 10.3K

$27.61 MX$514

208.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$19.81 ISK 2,405

$5.00 MX$93.1

296.20%

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

$1,205 ISK 146.3K

$207 MX$3,854

481.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$5,231 MX$97.3K

386.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$150 ISK 18.2K

$43.45 MX$809

245.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.8 ISK 8,105

$42.54 MX$792

56.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$185 ISK 22.4K

$72.8 MX$1,354

154.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$252 ISK 30.6K

$88.4 MX$1,645

185.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

11.45

-23.06%

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

Last update for Hella: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hella

$619 35.9%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 58.4% $362

Eating Out

Hella

$535 31.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 62.6% $335

Clothing & Footwear

Hella

$294 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 62.2% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hella

$214 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 37.4% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Hella

$40 * 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 67.7% $27

Getting Around

Hella

$20 * 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 146% $30

Accommodation & Living

Hella

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $121 in Hella versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $619 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Hella

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:17 9:17 PM

16:17 4:17 PM

5 h behind Hella

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900

149,923

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.37 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.37 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hella Playa del Carmen 6,820 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Hella
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,723 in Hella, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,584 per month in Hella and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,723 in Hella and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,205 per month in Hella and $207 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 $1,202, than in Hella at $1,723. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hella 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,723 in Hella. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.