Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kailua, HI and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $4,158 in Kailua, HI, rent and utilities included – about $35,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

199

Cost of Living Index in Kailua, HI
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Kailua, HI Living Index
58

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

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Kailua, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$4,158

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,158 in Kailua, HI versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Kailua, HI $4,158
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,091 in Kailua, HI versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Kailua, HI $6,091
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,024 in Kailua, HI versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Kailua, HI $8,024
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Kailua, HI is roughly 245% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kailua, HI is 205% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.99 $27.99

$10.92 MX$204

156.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$139 $139

$43.37 MX$808

221.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 $11.68

$11.78 MX$220

-0.85%

Cappuccino

$6.44 $6.44

$3.81 MX$71.0

69.03%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$1.28 MX$23.90

135.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.78 MX$14.59

205.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.40 $9.40

$3.17 MX$59.0

196.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.23 $9.23

$4.93 MX$92.0

87.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.41 MX$26.22

53.19%

White Bread (500g)

$7.58 $7.58

$2.22 MX$41.33

241.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.95 $7.95

$1.42 MX$26.42

459.86%

Eggs

$8.24 $8.24

$2.52 MX$47.03

226.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$7.26 MX$135

159.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.04 $16.04

$7.70 MX$143

108.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.78 $21.78

$12.69 MX$237

71.63%

Apples (1kg)

$7.80 $7.80

$2.78 MX$51.9

180.58%

Banana (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.37 MX$25.50

215.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.07 $7.07

$2.55 MX$47.55

177.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.39 $9.39

$2.12 MX$39.58

342.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.94 MX$36.13

86.60%

Onion (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.89 MX$35.16

156.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.15 MX$21.37

292.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.18 MX$21.98

169.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.08 $13.08

$4.30 MX$80.1

204.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.76 $16.76

$9.95 MX$185

68.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.58 MX$29.52

70.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.67 MX$49.79

-20.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 $3.90

$0.55 MX$10.31

609.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.1 $91.1

$26.62 MX$496

242.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 $3.60

$4.97 MX$92.6

-27.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.59 $2.59

$3.33 MX$62.1

-22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.45 $44.45

$5.36 MX$99.8

729.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.44 MX$26.92

-12.50%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

69.33%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

13.37%

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

$249 $249

$84.8 MX$1,581

193.78%

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

$50.1 $50.1

$23.41 MX$436

113.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$28.66 MX$534

133.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.8 $70.8

$57.1 MX$1,063

24.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.13 $40.13

$28.91 MX$539

38.81%

Cinema Ticket

$18.73 $18.73

$5.14 MX$95.8

264.40%

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

$2,109 $2,109

$207 MX$3,851

921.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.9K $26.9K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

584.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 $62.3

$43.35 MX$808

43.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.57 $47.57

$41.44 MX$772

14.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$74.2 MX$1,383

38.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 $129

$89.3 MX$1,664

44.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,725 $2,725

$980 MX$18.3K

178.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,351 $2,351

$381 MX$7,099

517.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,306 $4,306

$1,708 MX$31.8K

152.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,733 $3,733

$1,075 MX$20.0K

247.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K $12.3K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

212.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,638 $9,638

$6,158 MX$114.8K

56.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,764 $4,764

$735 MX$13.7K

548.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

11.45

-41.48%

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

Last update for Kailua, HI: 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

Kailua, HI

$2.4K 56.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 83.8% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Kailua, HI

$632 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 59.7% $378

Eating Out

Kailua, HI

$423 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 52.2% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kailua, HI

$366 8.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 62.6% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Kailua, HI

$154 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.5% $42

Getting Around

Kailua, HI

$123 3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 59.1% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Kailua, HI

$108 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 37.8% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,725 in Kailua, HI and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kailua, HI pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $139 in Kailua, HI vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $632 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kailua, HI

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

11:09 11:09 AM

5 h ahead of Kailua, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,975

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 →

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Between locations

Kailua, HI Playa del Carmen 7,140 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Kailua, HI
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

Kailua, HI vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 245% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Kailua, HI is about 6.5 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: $2,725 in Kailua, HI versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 71% less than in Kailua, HI. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,109 in Kailua, HI versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,158 in Kailua, HI, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Kailua, HI. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Kailua, HI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.