Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Humacao and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,561 in Humacao, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Humacao
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Humacao Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Humacao

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,561 per month in Humacao vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Humacao $1,561
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,539 per month in Humacao vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Humacao $2,539
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,516 per month in Humacao vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Humacao $3,516
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Humacao costs about 30% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Humacao sits 15% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.86 $11.86

$10.92 MX$204

8.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.86 $45.86

$43.37 MX$808

5.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 $9.11

$11.78 MX$220

-22.67%

Cappuccino

$3.70 $3.70

$3.81 MX$71.0

-2.89%

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

$1.79 $1.79

$1.28 MX$23.90

39.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 $1.21

$0.78 MX$14.59

55.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 $2.20

$3.17 MX$59.0

-30.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$4.93 MX$92.0

-40.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.41 MX$26.22

57.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.22 MX$41.33

27.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.42 MX$26.42

12.68%

Eggs

$7.33 $7.33

$2.52 MX$47.03

190.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.39 $12.39

$7.26 MX$135

70.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 $6.49

$7.70 MX$143

-15.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$12.69 MX$237

3.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.78 MX$51.9

8.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.37 MX$25.50

72.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.55 MX$47.55

50.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.12 MX$39.58

116.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.94 MX$36.13

55.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.89 MX$35.16

49.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.15 MX$21.37

179.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.18 MX$21.98

-24.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.30 $11.30

$4.30 MX$80.1

162.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 $9.99

$9.95 MX$185

0.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.58 MX$29.52

-20.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.67 MX$49.79

22.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.55 MX$10.31

80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$4.97 MX$92.6

-50.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.33 MX$62.1

-55.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.03 $42.03

$5.36 MX$99.8

684.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.44 MX$26.92

-38.89%

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

$20.2K $20.2K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

-2.07%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

6.05%

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

$319 $319

$84.8 MX$1,581

276.16%

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

$68.5 $68.5

$23.41 MX$436

192.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.1 $70.1

$28.66 MX$534

144.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 $29.76

$57.1 MX$1,063

-47.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 $7.53

$5.14 MX$95.8

46.50%

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

$815 $815

$207 MX$3,851

294.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K $10.5K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

167.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 $56.2

$43.35 MX$808

29.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.7 $60.7

$41.44 MX$772

46.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 $98.9

$74.2 MX$1,383

33.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.6 $80.6

$89.3 MX$1,664

-9.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$580 $580

$980 MX$18.3K

-40.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 $382

$381 MX$7,099

0.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,555 $1,555

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-8.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 $1,159

$1,075 MX$20.0K

7.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,746 $3,746

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-4.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,642 $1,642

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-73.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,020 $2,020

$735 MX$13.7K

174.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.45

-42.79%

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

Last update for Humacao: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Humacao

$458 29.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 70.1% $321

Accommodation & Living

Humacao

$382 24.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 0.3% $1.1

Groceries & Markets

Humacao

$334 21.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 23.7% $79

Eating Out

Humacao

$196 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 3.5% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Humacao

$133 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 16.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Humacao

$45 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 50.2% $23

Getting Around

Humacao

$14 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 265% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $580 in Humacao 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 Humacao are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Humacao versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Humacao

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

10:05 10:05 AM

1 h behind Humacao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,972

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Humacao Playa del Carmen 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Humacao
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

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

Yes – Humacao is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,341 per month in Humacao 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 Humacao, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $580 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,561 in Humacao and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 30%.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Humacao and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Humacao at $1,561. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Humacao 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,561 in Humacao. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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