Cost of Living Comparison Between Hulhumale and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Hulhumale and Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,412 in Hulhumale versus $1,305 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,546 in Hulhumale versus $2,334 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,679 in Hulhumale versus $3,362 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Hulhumale is roughly 8% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hulhumale is 2% above, Playa del Carmen is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.10 MVR 94.0

$11.96 MX$203

-49.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.40 MVR 608

$47.38 MX$804

-16.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.41 MVR 145

$11.75 MX$199

-19.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.82 MVR 74.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 MVR 76.6

Cappuccino

$3.47 MVR 53.6

$4.12 MX$70.0

-15.78%

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

$1.66 MVR 25.63

$1.40 MX$23.74

18.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 MVR 4.40

$0.91 MX$15.48

-68.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.07 MX$120

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 MVR 23.92

$1.68 MX$28.44

-7.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 MVR 25.71

$2.15 MX$36.48

-22.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.31 MVR 4.70

$1.77 MX$30.10

-82.49%

Eggs

$1.77 MVR 27.23

$2.82 MX$47.76

-37.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.32 MVR 51.1

$9.20 MX$156

-63.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.00 MVR 92.4

$9.23 MX$157

-34.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.59 MVR 148

$12.64 MX$214

-24.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 MVR 61.8

$2.95 MX$50.1

35.93%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 MVR 47.37

$1.58 MX$26.79

94.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 MVR 45.98

$2.22 MX$37.70

34.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.74 MVR 42.24

$2.36 MX$40.09

16.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 MVR 19.67

$1.99 MX$33.81

-35.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 MVR 17.02

$1.98 MX$33.58

-44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 MVR 32.67

$1.24 MX$21.04

70.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 MVR 9.66

$1.21 MX$20.55

-47.93%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.45 MVR 192

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 MVR 41.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 MVR 30.70

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.79 MVR 197

$4.60 MX$78.1

178.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.52 MX$178

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MX$28.70

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 MX$47.06

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 MX$10.22

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.70 MX$504

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MVR 29.60

$5.24 MX$88.8

-63.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 MVR 29.32

$3.65 MX$61.9

-47.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.92 MVR 153

$5.78 MX$98.1

71.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 MVR 14.85

$1.54 MX$26.09

-37.66%

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

$32.2K MVR 496.5K

$22.8K MX$386.8K

41.20%

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

$29.6K MVR 456.8K

$25.8K MX$437.9K

14.76%

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

$105 MVR 1,622

$90.7 MX$1,538

16.04%

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

$29.51 MVR 455

$25.19 MX$427

17.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.6 MVR 1,135

$31.75 MX$539

131.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 MX$1,167

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.37 MX$498

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 MVR 149

$4.86 MX$82.5

98.77%

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

$184 MVR 2,835

$226 MX$3,828

-18.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,992 MVR 46.1K

$4,194 MX$71.1K

-28.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.06 MVR 602

$47.38 MX$804

-17.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.81 MVR 753

$43.45 MX$737

12.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 MVR 1,361

$80.2 MX$1,361

10.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 MVR 814

$91.4 MX$1,550

-42.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 MVR 17.3K

$1,086 MX$18.4K

3.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$788 MVR 12.1K

$409 MX$6,933

92.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,273 MVR 35.0K

$1,972 MX$33.5K

15.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,248 MVR 34.7K

$1,281 MX$21.7K

75.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,400 MVR 83.3K

$4,046 MX$68.6K

33.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$502 MVR 7,739

$6,704 MX$113.7K

-92.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$725 MVR 11.2K

$773 MX$13.1K

-6.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

22.27%

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

Last update for Hulhumale: September 6, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,123 in Hulhumale and $1,086 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39.00 in Hulhumale vs $47.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $278 per month, with Hulhumale cheaper across the board.

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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Hulhumale. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Playa del Carmen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,123 in Hulhumale versus $1,086 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $184 in Hulhumale versus $226 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 Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $39.00 in Hulhumale. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,305 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,412 in Hulhumale, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Hulhumale. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,305 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Hulhumale and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Hulhumale. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.