Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hempstead, NY and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,474 in Hempstead, NY, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. The total is higher in Hempstead, NY despite lower rent and utilities.

71

Cost of Living Index in Hempstead, NY
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Hempstead, NY Living Index
58

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

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Hempstead, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,474

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,474 in Hempstead, NY versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Hempstead, NY $1,474
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,319 in Hempstead, NY versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Hempstead, NY $2,319
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,164 in Hempstead, NY versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Hempstead, NY $3,164
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Hempstead, NY is roughly 22% 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: Hempstead, NY is 8% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.94 $19.94

$10.92 MX$205

82.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.1 $76.1

$43.37 MX$813

75.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.73 $12.73

$11.78 MX$221

8.06%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$3.81 MX$71.4

34.91%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$1.28 MX$24.03

127.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.78 MX$14.67

198.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 $6.05

$3.17 MX$59.3

90.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$4.93 MX$92.5

66.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.41 MX$26.35

-10.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 $1.65

$2.22 MX$41.54

-25.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.42 MX$26.56

72.54%

Eggs

$3.62 $3.62

$2.52 MX$47.27

43.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.56 $9.56

$7.26 MX$136

31.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.17 $12.17

$7.70 MX$144

58.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 $12.13

$12.69 MX$238

-4.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.78 MX$52.2

7.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.37 MX$25.64

11.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.55 MX$47.80

-29.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.12 MX$39.78

167.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.94 MX$36.32

48.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.89 MX$35.34

39.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.15 MX$21.49

122.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.18 MX$22.09

110.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.96 $11.96

$4.30 MX$80.5

178.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 $15.17

$9.95 MX$186

52.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.58 MX$29.67

46.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.67 MX$50.1

65.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 $2.93

$0.55 MX$10.37

432.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$130 $130

$26.62 MX$499

389.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 $2.89

$4.97 MX$93.1

-41.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 $0.63

$3.33 MX$62.4

-81.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.40 $24.40

$5.36 MX$100

355.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.44 MX$27.06

-20.83%

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

$31.7K $31.7K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

53.45%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

13.34%

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

$230 $230

$84.8 MX$1,589

171.31%

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

$64.4 $64.4

$23.41 MX$439

175.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$28.66 MX$537

133.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$57.1 MX$1,069

96.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$14.88 $14.88

$5.14 MX$96.3

189.49%

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

$2,082 $2,082

$207 MX$3,871

908.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.5K $42.5K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

981.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.96 $48.96

$43.35 MX$812

12.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.40 $44.40

$41.44 MX$777

7.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$74.2 MX$1,390

37.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$89.3 MX$1,672

58.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

11.45

-41.83%

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

Last update for Hempstead, NY: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hempstead, NY

$361 24.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 62.1% $224

Groceries & Markets

Hempstead, NY

$344 23.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 25.9% $89

Eating Out

Hempstead, NY

$327 22.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 38.1% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Hempstead, NY

$152 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 26.3% $40

Getting Around

Hempstead, NY

$148 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 65.9% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Hempstead, NY

$142 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 52.6% $75

Accommodation & Living

Hempstead, NY

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $76 in Hempstead, NY vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hempstead, NY

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:01 4:01 PM

Same time as Hempstead, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

793,409

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hempstead, NY Playa del Carmen 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hempstead, NY
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

Hempstead, NY vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,474 in Hempstead, NY and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,210 in Hempstead, NY 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Hempstead, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $76 in Hempstead, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.