Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,708 in Honolulu, HI, rent and utilities included – about $30,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

178

Cost of Living Index in Honolulu, HI
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Honolulu, HI Living Index
58

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

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Honolulu, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$3,708

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,708 per month in Honolulu, HI vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Honolulu, HI $3,708
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $5,954 per month in Honolulu, HI vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Honolulu, HI $5,954
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $8,200 per month in Honolulu, HI vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Honolulu, HI $8,200
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Honolulu, HI costs about 208% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Honolulu, HI sits 172% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.73 $27.73

$10.92 MX$205

153.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$140 $140

$43.37 MX$814

222.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.03 $15.03

$11.78 MX$221

27.59%

Cappuccino

$10.28 $10.28

$3.81 MX$71.5

169.82%

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

$4.84 $4.84

$1.28 MX$24.07

278.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 $3.57

$0.78 MX$14.70

357.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.68 $10.68

$3.17 MX$59.5

236.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.28 $11.28

$4.93 MX$92.7

128.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.41 MX$26.40

54.61%

White Bread (500g)

$7.52 $7.52

$2.22 MX$41.62

238.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$1.42 MX$26.61

616.20%

Eggs

$8.69 $8.69

$2.52 MX$47.36

244.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.68 $27.68

$7.26 MX$136

281.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.05 $20.05

$7.70 MX$144

160.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.26 $21.26

$12.69 MX$238

67.53%

Apples (1kg)

$7.99 $7.99

$2.78 MX$52.3

187.41%

Banana (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$1.37 MX$25.68

275.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.77 $6.77

$2.55 MX$47.89

165.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.48 $9.48

$2.12 MX$39.86

347.17%

Potato (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$1.94 MX$36.39

147.94%

Onion (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.89 MX$35.41

158.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.15 $5.15

$1.15 MX$21.53

347.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.18 MX$22.13

169.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.91 $12.91

$4.30 MX$80.6

200.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.31 $18.31

$9.95 MX$187

84.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.58 MX$29.73

72.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$2.67 MX$50.1

117.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$0.55 MX$10.39

458.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.8 $90.8

$26.62 MX$500

241.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 $3.42

$4.97 MX$93.3

-31.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.33 MX$62.5

-22.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.37 $45.37

$5.36 MX$101

746.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.44 MX$27.11

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

75.02%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

11.27%

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

$259 $259

$84.8 MX$1,592

205.14%

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

$66.4 $66.4

$23.41 MX$439

183.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 $66.2

$28.66 MX$538

131.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 $53.8

$57.1 MX$1,071

-5.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.55 $31.55

$28.91 MX$543

9.13%

Cinema Ticket

$19.86 $19.86

$5.14 MX$96.5

286.38%

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

$2,174 $2,174

$207 MX$3,878

952.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.7K $26.7K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

579.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 $62.7

$43.35 MX$814

44.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.12 $47.12

$41.44 MX$778

13.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 $99.8

$74.2 MX$1,393

34.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 $130

$89.3 MX$1,676

45.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 $2,529

$980 MX$18.4K

158.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,741 $1,741

$381 MX$7,150

357.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,407 $4,407

$1,708 MX$32.1K

158.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,603 $3,603

$1,075 MX$20.2K

235.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,028 $9,028

$3,943 MX$74.0K

128.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,207 $7,207

$6,158 MX$115.6K

17.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,079 $4,079

$735 MX$13.8K

455.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

11.45

-41.48%

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

Last update for Honolulu, HI: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Honolulu, HI

$1.7K 47%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 78.1% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Honolulu, HI

$710 19.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 64.1% $455

Eating Out

Honolulu, HI

$500 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 59.5% $298

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honolulu, HI

$391 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 65% $255

Clothing & Footwear

Honolulu, HI

$153 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27% $41

Getting Around

Honolulu, HI

$119 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 57.8% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Honolulu, HI

$94 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 28% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,529 in Honolulu, HI 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 Honolulu, HI are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $140 in Honolulu, HI versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $710 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Honolulu, HI

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:28 8:28 AM

13:28 1:28 PM

5 h ahead of Honolulu, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

350,964

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Honolulu, HI Playa del Carmen 7,280 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Honolulu, 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

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

Honolulu, HI costs about 208% 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 $5,562 per month in Honolulu, HI 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $2,529 in Honolulu, HI.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,708 in Honolulu, HI and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 68% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 71% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Honolulu, HI at $3,708. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honolulu, HI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $3,708 in Honolulu, HI. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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