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: $1,506 in Hulhumale versus $1,287 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Hulhumale versus $2,184 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,854 in Hulhumale versus $3,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Hulhumale is roughly 17% more expensive than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hulhumale is 12% above, Playa del Carmen is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.41 MVR 83.7

$11.94 MX$208

-54.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.88 MVR 446

$42.75 MX$744

-32.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.97 MVR 154

$10.59 MX$184

-5.85%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.58 MVR 70.8

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 MVR 57.8

Cappuccino

$2.84 MVR 43.96

$3.62 MX$63.0

-21.55%

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

$1.33 MVR 20.52

$1.47 MX$25.54

-9.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 MVR 3.86

$0.94 MX$16.41

-73.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 MX$53.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MX$77.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 MVR 27.47

$1.43 MX$24.80

24.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 MVR 23.93

$1.88 MX$32.79

-17.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.33 MVR 5.17

$1.63 MX$28.34

-79.75%

Eggs

$1.54 MVR 23.88

$2.64 MX$45.99

-41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 MVR 124

$8.21 MX$143

-2.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 MVR 93.5

$8.29 MX$144

-27.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.63 MVR 133

$11.10 MX$193

-22.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 MVR 61.6

$2.65 MX$46.14

50.19%

Banana (1kg)

$3.71 MVR 57.3

$1.50 MX$26.11

147.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 MVR 65.1

$1.99 MX$34.59

111.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 MVR 50.0

$2.08 MX$36.13

55.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 MVR 23.45

$1.79 MX$31.11

-15.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 MVR 19.09

$2.18 MX$37.87

-43.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.06 MVR 47.34

$1.08 MX$18.73

183.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MVR 7.68

$1.04 MX$18.04

-51.92%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.23 MVR 189

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 MVR 41.19

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.80 MVR 151

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.92 MVR 122

$3.97 MX$69.1

99.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 MX$178

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$30.04

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 MX$43.46

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.02

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.97 MX$469

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MVR 31.00

$3.14 MX$54.7

-36.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 MVR 29.95

$2.40 MX$41.80

-19.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.98 MVR 154

$3.09 MX$53.7

222.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 MVR 14.13

$1.27 MX$22.16

-28.35%

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

$32.6K MVR 504.1K

$30.9K MX$537.3K

5.58%

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

$34.0K MVR 526.3K

$23.3K MX$405.7K

46.00%

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

$108 MVR 1,671

$82.0 MX$1,427

31.79%

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

$40.96 MVR 633

$22.45 MX$391

82.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.62 MVR 644

$29.66 MX$516

40.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 MVR 1,015

$51.9 MX$903

26.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.67 MX$325

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 MVR 153

$4.97 MX$86.5

98.99%

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

$165 MVR 2,555

$198 MX$3,442

-16.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,595 MVR 55.6K

$5,273 MX$91.7K

-31.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.10 MVR 682

$36.34 MX$632

21.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 MVR 880

$40.05 MX$697

42.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 MVR 1,402

$79.9 MX$1,390

13.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.3 MVR 825

$88.9 MX$1,547

-39.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 MVR 19.8K

$963 MX$16.8K

32.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 MVR 12.0K

$465 MX$8,086

66.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 MVR 44.5K

$1,596 MX$27.8K

80.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,292 MVR 35.4K

$1,209 MX$21.0K

89.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,375 MVR 83.1K

$3,942 MX$68.6K

36.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$494 MVR 7,637

$6,448 MX$112.2K

-92.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$709 MVR 11.0K

$720 MX$12.5K

-1.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.4

11.42

8.58%

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

Last update for Hulhumale: April 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,279 in Hulhumale and $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29.00 in Hulhumale vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $221 vs $251 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 17% 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, Playa del Carmen earns 2% less. 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: $1,279 in Hulhumale versus $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $165 in Hulhumale versus $198 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 $43.00 versus $29.00 in Hulhumale. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,287 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,506 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 $1,287 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 17% less than in Hulhumale. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.