Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Huntington Beach, CA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,603 in Huntington Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $28,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

173

Cost of Living Index in Huntington Beach, CA
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Huntington Beach, CA Living Index
58

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

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Huntington Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,603

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,603 in Huntington Beach, CA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Huntington Beach, CA $3,603
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,137 in Huntington Beach, CA versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Huntington Beach, CA $5,137
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,671 in Huntington Beach, CA versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Huntington Beach, CA $6,671
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Huntington Beach, CA is roughly 199% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Huntington Beach, CA is 165% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.69 $15.69

$10.92 MX$204

43.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 $78.9

$43.37 MX$808

81.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.91 $14.91

$11.78 MX$220

26.57%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$3.81 MX$71.0

49.08%

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

$3.12 $3.12

$1.28 MX$23.90

143.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.78 MX$14.59

183.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.10 $7.10

$3.17 MX$59.0

123.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 $7.86

$4.93 MX$92.0

59.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.41 MX$26.22

-14.89%

White Bread (500g)

$5.23 $5.23

$2.22 MX$41.33

135.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.42 MX$26.42

234.51%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$2.52 MX$47.03

96.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.26 MX$135

70.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$7.70 MX$143

145.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.32 $15.32

$12.69 MX$237

20.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.78 MX$51.9

73.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.37 MX$25.50

31.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.55 MX$47.55

68.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.73 $5.73

$2.12 MX$39.58

170.28%

Potato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.94 MX$36.13

124.74%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.89 MX$35.16

68.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.15 MX$21.37

79.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.18 MX$21.98

110.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.60 $11.60

$4.30 MX$80.1

169.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.14 $15.14

$9.95 MX$185

52.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.58 MX$29.52

23.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 $3.23

$2.67 MX$49.79

20.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.55 MX$10.31

260.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.6 $69.6

$26.62 MX$496

161.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 $4.37

$4.97 MX$92.6

-12.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$3.33 MX$62.1

-43.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.21 $36.21

$5.36 MX$99.8

575.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.44 MX$26.92

6.94%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

32.87%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

12.35%

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

$213 $213

$84.8 MX$1,581

150.77%

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

$60.8 $60.8

$23.41 MX$436

159.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.4 $79.4

$28.66 MX$534

177.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.46 $36.46

$57.1 MX$1,063

-36.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$14.83 $14.83

$5.14 MX$95.8

188.52%

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

$1,188 $1,188

$207 MX$3,851

474.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.3K $43.3K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

1003.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 $65.4

$43.35 MX$808

50.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.86 $40.86

$41.44 MX$772

-1.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.1 $98.1

$74.2 MX$1,383

32.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$89.3 MX$1,664

27.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,444 $2,444

$980 MX$18.3K

149.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,173 $2,173

$381 MX$7,099

470.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,574 $4,574

$1,708 MX$31.8K

167.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 $3,543

$1,075 MX$20.0K

229.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K $11.8K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

200.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,518 $7,518

$6,158 MX$114.8K

22.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,606 $5,606

$735 MX$13.7K

663.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

11.45

-42.01%

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

Last update for Huntington Beach, CA: 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

Huntington Beach, CA

$2.2K 60.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 82.5% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Huntington Beach, CA

$465 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 45.3% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Huntington Beach, CA

$353 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 61.2% $216

Eating Out

Huntington Beach, CA

$311 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 34.9% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Huntington Beach, CA

$143 4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 22.1% $32

Getting Around

Huntington Beach, CA

$91 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 44.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Huntington Beach, CA

$66 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 1.8% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,444 in Huntington Beach, CA and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Huntington Beach, CA pays about 7.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Huntington Beach, CA vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $465 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Huntington Beach, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:39 1:39 PM

15:39 3:39 PM

2 h ahead of Huntington Beach, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,366

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 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 = 0.898 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

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Between locations

Huntington Beach, CA Playa del Carmen 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Huntington Beach, CA
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

Huntington Beach, CA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 67% lower than in Huntington Beach, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Huntington Beach, CA is about 7.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,444 in Huntington Beach, CA versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Huntington Beach, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $79 in Huntington Beach, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,603 in Huntington Beach, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Huntington Beach, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Huntington Beach, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Huntington Beach, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.