Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hillsboro, OR and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,898 in Hillsboro, OR, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hillsboro, OR, United States
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Hillsboro, OR
🇺🇸 United States
$2,898
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,898 per month in Hillsboro, OR vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Hillsboro, OR $2,898
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,926 per month in Hillsboro, OR vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Hillsboro, OR $3,926
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,954 per month in Hillsboro, OR vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Hillsboro, OR $4,954
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Hillsboro, OR costs about 141% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hillsboro, OR sits 113% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hillsboro, OR
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.12 $22.12
$10.92 MX$205
102.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.1 $61.1
$43.37 MX$813
40.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.78 $7.78
$11.78 MX$221
-33.96%
Cappuccino
$4.75 $4.75
$3.81 MX$71.4
24.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 $2.80
$1.28 MX$24.03
118.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 $2.02
$0.78 MX$14.67
158.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.86 $4.86
$3.17 MX$59.3
53.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.97 $5.97
$4.93 MX$92.5
21.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hillsboro, OR
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.05 $1.05
$1.41 MX$26.35
-25.53%
White Bread (500g)
$3.76 $3.76
$2.22 MX$41.54
69.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.41 $5.41
$1.42 MX$26.56
280.99%
Eggs
$3.81 $3.81
$2.52 MX$47.27
51.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.02 $10.02
$7.26 MX$136
38.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.82 $13.82
$7.70 MX$144
79.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.53 $19.53
$12.69 MX$238
53.90%
Apples (1kg)
$3.68 $3.68
$2.78 MX$52.2
32.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 $1.69
$1.37 MX$25.64
23.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.77 $3.77
$2.55 MX$47.80
47.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.36 $3.36
$2.12 MX$39.78
58.49%
Potato (1kg)
$2.17 $2.17
$1.94 MX$36.32
11.86%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 $2.19
$1.89 MX$35.34
15.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.00 $2.00
$1.15 MX$21.49
73.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.87 $1.87
$1.18 MX$22.09
58.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.08 $10.08
$4.30 MX$80.5
134.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.57 $13.57
$9.95 MX$186
36.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.58 MX$29.67
8.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 $3.63
$2.67 MX$50.1
35.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Hillsboro, OR
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.82 $2.82
$0.55 MX$10.37
412.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$99.5 $99.5
$26.62 MX$499
273.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.85 $4.85
$4.97 MX$93.1
-2.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.34 $1.34
$3.33 MX$62.4
-59.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.80 $29.80
$5.36 MX$100
455.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 $1.15
$1.44 MX$27.06
-20.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.6K $18.6K
$20.7K MX$387.3K
-9.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K $22.3K
$23.5K MX$439.7K
-4.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hillsboro, OR
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$151 $151
$84.8 MX$1,589
77.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$41.00 $41.00
$23.41 MX$439
75.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.47 $48.47
$28.66 MX$537
69.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hillsboro, OR
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.3 $52.3
$57.1 MX$1,069
-8.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.10 $12.10
$28.91 MX$542
-58.15%
Cinema Ticket
$14.18 $14.18
$5.14 MX$96.3
175.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hillsboro, OR
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,208 $1,208
$207 MX$3,871
485.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.0K $12.0K
$3,927 MX$73.6K
205.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hillsboro, OR
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$38.21 $38.21
$43.35 MX$812
-11.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.70 $38.70
$41.44 MX$777
-6.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.1 $95.1
$74.2 MX$1,390
28.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.9 $85.9
$89.3 MX$1,672
-3.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hillsboro, OR
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,894 $1,894
$980 MX$18.4K
93.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,639 $1,639
$381 MX$7,136
330.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,831 $2,831
$1,708 MX$32.0K
65.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,154 $2,154
$1,075 MX$20.1K
100.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,329 $3,329
$3,943 MX$73.9K
-15.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,328 $3,328
$6,158 MX$115.4K
-45.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hillsboro, OR
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,697 $4,697
$735 MX$13.8K
539.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.22
11.45
-45.68%

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

Last update for Hillsboro, OR: October 25, 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
Hillsboro, OR
$1.6K
Playa del Carmen
$381 76.8% $1.3K
Groceries & Markets
Hillsboro, OR
$387
Playa del Carmen
$255 34.2% $133
Eating Out
Hillsboro, OR
$313
Playa del Carmen
$202 35.3% $111
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hillsboro, OR
$240
Playa del Carmen
$137 43.1% $104
Getting Around
Hillsboro, OR
$122
Playa del Carmen
$50 58.8% $72
Clothing & Footwear
Hillsboro, OR
$116
Playa del Carmen
$112 3.8% $4.4
Sport & Entertainment
Hillsboro, OR
$81
Playa del Carmen
$67 16.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,894 in Hillsboro, OR 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 Hillsboro, OR are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Hillsboro, OR versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $387 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Hillsboro, OR
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
05:21 5:21 AM
08:21 8:21 AM
3 h ahead of Hillsboro, OR
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
106,447
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hillsboro, OR Playa del Carmen 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hillsboro, OR
  • 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
Hillsboro, OR vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Hillsboro, OR or Playa del Carmen?
Hillsboro, OR costs about 141% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Hillsboro, OR and in Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,348 per month in Hillsboro, OR and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Hillsboro, OR or Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,894 in Hillsboro, OR.
How much does it cost to live in Hillsboro, OR compared to Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,898 in Hillsboro, OR and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 58% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Hillsboro, OR compared to Playa del Carmen?
Public transport costs about 73% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Hillsboro, OR or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Hillsboro, OR at $2,898. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hillsboro, OR it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Hillsboro, OR or to Playa del Carmen?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hillsboro, OR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Hillsboro, OR vs other spots: cost of living compared

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