Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Howick and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Howick: $1,081 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

52

Cost of Living Index in Howick
Learn more

Howick Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Howick

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,081 in Howick versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Howick $1,081
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,676 in Howick versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Howick $1,676
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,271 in Howick versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Howick $2,271
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Howick costs roughly 10% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Howick 21% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.03 R 133

$10.92 MX$203

-26.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.85 R 645

$43.37 MX$808

-10.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.50 R 91.3

$11.78 MX$219

-53.31%

Cappuccino

$2.66 R 44.23

$3.81 MX$71.0

-30.18%

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

$1.09 R 18.19

$1.28 MX$23.89

-14.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.32

$0.78 MX$14.58

17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 R 39.69

$3.17 MX$59.0

-24.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R 41.80

$4.93 MX$91.9

-48.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 R 20.08

$1.41 MX$26.20

-14.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.30

$2.22 MX$41.30

-55.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.92

$1.42 MX$26.40

9.86%

Eggs

$2.34 R 38.88

$2.52 MX$47.00

-7.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 R 137

$7.26 MX$135

13.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.28 R 87.7

$7.70 MX$143

-31.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.20 R 120

$12.69 MX$236

-43.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 R 33.03

$2.78 MX$51.9

-28.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.24

$1.37 MX$25.49

37.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 R 31.86

$2.55 MX$47.52

-24.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.22

$2.12 MX$39.55

-19.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.76

$1.94 MX$36.11

-23.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.33

$1.89 MX$35.13

-22.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 20.17

$1.15 MX$21.36

5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.78

$1.18 MX$21.96

0.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.68 R 61.1

$4.30 MX$80.0

-14.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.84 R 80.4

$9.95 MX$185

-51.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 R 24.15

$1.58 MX$29.50

-8.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 31.23

$2.67 MX$49.76

-29.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.52

$0.55 MX$10.31

180.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 R 7.49

$4.97 MX$92.6

-90.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.41

$3.33 MX$62.1

-77.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.56 R 126

$5.36 MX$99.8

41.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.68

$1.44 MX$26.90

-4.86%

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

$36.1K R 600.3K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

74.88%

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

$33.1K R 550.2K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

41.16%

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

$150 R 2,491

$84.8 MX$1,580

76.86%

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

$15.25 R 253

$23.41 MX$436

-34.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.18 R 667

$28.66 MX$534

40.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.93 R 530

$57.1 MX$1,063

-44.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 183

$28.91 MX$539

-61.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 R 118

$5.14 MX$95.7

37.94%

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

$309 R 5,141

$207 MX$3,848

49.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,814 R 129.8K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

98.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 R 899

$43.35 MX$808

24.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.61 R 508

$41.44 MX$772

-26.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 R 1,636

$74.2 MX$1,382

32.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,400

$89.3 MX$1,663

-5.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 R 6,567

$980 MX$18.2K

-59.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 R 6,078

$381 MX$7,095

-3.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 R 12.2K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-56.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$734 R 12.2K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-31.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$868 R 14.4K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-77.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$675 R 11.2K

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-89.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

11.45

2.88%

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

Last update for Howick: 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

Howick

$366 33.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 4.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Howick

$205 19%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 33.4% $69

Groceries & Markets

Howick

$195 18%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 30.8% $60

Eating Out

Howick

$138 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 46.9% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Howick

$120 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 7.2% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Howick

$46 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 46% $21

Getting Around

Howick

$10 * 1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 388% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $395 in Howick and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39 in Howick vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $255 per month, with Howick cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Howick

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

03:17 3:17 AM

7 h behind Howick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,453

149,923

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.54 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Howick Playa del Carmen 13,700 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Howick
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

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

Howick is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,621 in Howick 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $395 in Howick versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $309 in Howick versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Howick – a meal for two runs $39 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Howick gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.