Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hilo, HI and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,865 in Hilo, HI, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Hilo, HI
Learn more

Hilo, HI Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Hilo, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,865

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,865 per month in Hilo, HI vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hilo, HI $2,865
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $4,388 per month in Hilo, HI vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hilo, HI $4,388
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,910 per month in Hilo, HI vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hilo, HI $5,910
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Hilo, HI costs about 138% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hilo, HI sits 112% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$10.67 MX$201

94.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.9 $79.9

$43.80 MX$824

82.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 $12.17

$11.79 MX$222

3.22%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.79 MX$71.2

48.55%

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

$2.90 $2.90

$1.30 MX$24.41

123.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.83 MX$15.69

191.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.32 $6.32

$3.15 MX$59.2

100.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 $7.57

$4.93 MX$92.9

53.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.41 MX$26.51

24.11%

White Bread (500g)

$10.08 $10.08

$2.20 MX$41.32

358.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$1.47 MX$27.71

191.16%

Eggs

$7.07 $7.07

$2.50 MX$46.99

182.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.98 $19.98

$7.29 MX$137

174.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.57 $17.57

$7.95 MX$150

121.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$30.15 $30.15

$12.86 MX$242

134.45%

Apples (1kg)

$8.57 $8.57

$2.90 MX$54.5

195.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.38 MX$26.03

73.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$10.48 $10.48

$2.49 MX$46.88

320.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$12.21 $12.21

$2.03 MX$38.20

501.48%

Potato (1kg)

$9.04 $9.04

$2.02 MX$38.11

347.52%

Onion (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$1.90 MX$35.82

311.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.36 $5.36

$1.14 MX$21.54

370.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.24 MX$23.32

143.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.90 $11.90

$4.27 MX$80.4

178.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.03 $22.03

$9.81 MX$185

124.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.59 MX$29.85

10.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$4.76 MX$89.6

-38.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$3.25 MX$61.1

-38.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.57 $23.57

$5.39 MX$101

337.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.53 MX$28.76

-7.84%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$21.2K MX$399.2K

20.23%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$23.3K MX$437.8K

11.92%

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

$302 $302

$83.5 MX$1,571

261.65%

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

$67.7 $67.7

$23.19 MX$436

191.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$125 $125

$27.61 MX$520

354.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.04 $37.04

$56.4 MX$1,062

-34.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.30 $25.30

$28.19 MX$531

-10.25%

Cinema Ticket

$13.24 $13.24

$5.00 MX$94.1

164.80%

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

$207 MX$3,897

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K $11.8K

$5,231 MX$98.4K

126.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.77 $36.77

$43.45 MX$818

-15.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.88 $29.88

$42.54 MX$801

-29.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.8 $66.8

$72.8 MX$1,369

-8.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 $83.9

$88.4 MX$1,663

-5.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 $1,463

$995 MX$18.7K

47.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 $1,142

$382 MX$7,197

198.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,574 $2,574

$1,674 MX$31.5K

53.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,199 $2,199

$1,081 MX$20.3K

103.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,600 $5,600

$3,909 MX$73.6K

43.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,662 $4,662

$6,138 MX$115.5K

-24.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,795 $3,795

$832 MX$15.7K

356.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

11.45

-42.18%

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

Last update for Hilo, HI: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hilo, HI

$1.1K 39.9%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 66.5% $760

Groceries & Markets

Hilo, HI

$715 * 25%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 64% $458

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hilo, HI

$495 17.3%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 72.9% $361

Eating Out

Hilo, HI

$338 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 40.8% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Hilo, HI

$98 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 13.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Hilo, HI

$64 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 4.6% $2.9

Getting Around

Hilo, HI

$13 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 289% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,463 in Hilo, HI versus $995 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 Hilo, HI are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Hilo, HI versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $715 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hilo, HI

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

06:16 6:16 AM

5 h ahead of Hilo, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,186

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hilo, HI Playa del Carmen 7,040 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Hilo, HI
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

Hilo, HI vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilo, HI costs about 138% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,297 per month in Hilo, HI and $1,804 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,463 in Hilo, HI.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,865 in Hilo, HI and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 58% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 178% more in Hilo, HI, 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 $1,202, than in Hilo, HI at $2,865. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hilo, HI 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 $2,865 in Hilo, HI. 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, Hilo, HI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.