Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hengelo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,186 in Hengelo, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Hengelo
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Hengelo Living Index
59

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

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Hengelo

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,186

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,186 per month in Hengelo vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hengelo $2,186
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,524 per month in Hengelo vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hengelo $3,524
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,862 per month in Hengelo vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hengelo $4,862
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Hengelo costs about 82% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hengelo sits 61% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.67 €20.16

$10.86 MX$201

108.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 €74.1

$44.21 MX$817

88.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 €11.79

$11.76 MX$217

12.76%

Cappuccino

$4.01 €3.57

$3.68 MX$68.0

8.97%

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

$3.81 €3.39

$1.34 MX$24.79

184.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.55

$0.82 MX$15.24

248.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.27 €5.58

$3.06 MX$56.6

104.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.49 €5.78

$4.94 MX$91.2

31.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.47 MX$27.17

-8.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 €2.18

$2.22 MX$40.95

10.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$1.48 MX$27.32

78.38%

Eggs

$4.34 €3.86

$2.49 MX$45.99

74.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 €12.50

$7.52 MX$139

86.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.81 €12.29

$7.96 MX$147

73.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.57 €12.96

$12.57 MX$232

15.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.78 MX$51.3

1.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.43 MX$26.37

55.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.62 MX$48.37

-18.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 €3.26

$2.14 MX$39.49

71.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.02 MX$37.38

-7.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.99 MX$36.74

-5.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.14 MX$21.01

6.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$1.20 MX$22.18

-41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.87 €12.34

$4.26 MX$78.7

225.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.86

$10.02 MX$185

-34.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.54 MX$28.41

-11.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.66 MX$49.17

0.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.12 €4.55

$0.53 MX$9.73

866.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.1 €80.2

$27.51 MX$508

227.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 €3.22

$4.90 MX$90.6

-26.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 €2.29

$3.43 MX$63.5

-24.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.23 €39.34

$5.38 MX$99.4

722.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.45 MX$26.76

74.48%

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

$41.1K €36.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

94.45%

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

$38.6K €34.4K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

67.89%

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

$268 €238

$85.4 MX$1,577

213.88%

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

$21.74 €19.34

$23.46 MX$434

-7.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.06 €42.75

$28.43 MX$525

69.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.68 €26.40

$62.2 MX$1,149

-52.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.66 €21.04

$28.68 MX$530

-17.50%

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 €14.17

$5.10 MX$94.3

212.35%

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

$1,222 €1,087

$201 MX$3,715

507.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,960 €7,081

$3,947 MX$72.9K

101.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.1 €83.7

$44.39 MX$820

112.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.61 €39.68

$41.35 MX$764

7.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 €82.7

$72.7 MX$1,344

27.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$89.6 MX$1,656

39.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$979 MX$18.1K

32.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 €743

$373 MX$6,887

124.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,399 €2,134

$1,681 MX$31.1K

42.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 €1,660

$1,095 MX$20.2K

70.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,317 €4,729

$3,949 MX$73.0K

34.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,422 €3,934

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-27.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,639 €2,348

$738 MX$13.6K

257.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.2

11.45

-63.32%

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

Last update for Hengelo: 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

Hengelo

$836 38.3%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 55.4% $463

Eating Out

Hengelo

$340 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 41.2% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hengelo

$338 15.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 59.4% $200

Groceries & Markets

Hengelo

$323 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 20% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Hengelo

$160 7.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 30.4% $49

Getting Around

Hengelo

$127 5.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 59.3% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Hengelo

$62 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 17.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,300 in Hengelo versus $979 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 run about 258% higher in Hengelo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Hengelo versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Hengelo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

18:15 6:15 PM

7 h behind Hengelo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,140

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hengelo Playa del Carmen 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Hengelo
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,186 in Hengelo, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 82% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,279 per month in Hengelo and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Hengelo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Hengelo and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Hengelo at $2,186. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hengelo 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 $2,186 in Hengelo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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