Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,754 in Kaneohe, HI, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Kaneohe, HI
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Kaneohe, HI Living Index
57

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

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Kaneohe, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,754

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,754 in Kaneohe, HI versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Kaneohe, HI $2,754
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,026 in Kaneohe, HI versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Kaneohe, HI $4,026
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,298 in Kaneohe, HI versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Kaneohe, HI $5,298
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Kaneohe, HI is roughly 129% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kaneohe, HI is 104% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.48 $17.48

$10.67 MX$199

63.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$43.80 MX$815

73.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.71 $12.71

$11.79 MX$219

7.80%

Cappuccino

$5.54 $5.54

$3.79 MX$70.5

46.17%

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

$1.93 $1.93

$1.30 MX$24.14

48.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.83 MX$15.51

139.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 $7.17

$3.15 MX$58.6

127.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 $5.08

$4.93 MX$91.8

3.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.41 MX$26.22

-26.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.20 MX$40.86

62.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.65 $6.65

$1.47 MX$27.40

352.38%

Eggs

$7.53 $7.53

$2.50 MX$46.47

201.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$7.29 MX$136

73.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.83 $10.83

$7.95 MX$148

36.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.88 $17.88

$12.86 MX$239

39.04%

Apples (1kg)

$8.34 $8.34

$2.90 MX$53.9

187.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.38 MX$25.74

15.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.02 $7.02

$2.49 MX$46.36

181.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.38 $9.38

$2.03 MX$37.78

362.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$2.02 MX$37.69

88.61%

Onion (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$1.90 MX$35.42

151.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.14 MX$21.30

166.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.24 MX$23.06

147.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.40 $8.40

$4.27 MX$79.5

96.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.92 $6.92

$9.81 MX$183

-29.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.59 MX$29.51

76.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.75 MX$51.1

112.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.51 MX$9.58

280.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.1 $60.1

$27.39 MX$510

119.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 $3.47

$4.76 MX$88.6

-27.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.59 $2.59

$3.25 MX$60.5

-20.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.99 $44.99

$5.39 MX$100

734.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.53 MX$28.44

-5.88%

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

$35.6K $35.6K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

67.59%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

10.59%

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

$255 $255

$83.5 MX$1,554

204.84%

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

$65.7 $65.7

$23.19 MX$431

183.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.3 $65.3

$27.61 MX$514

136.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.10 $40.10

$56.4 MX$1,050

-28.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$16.78 $16.78

$5.00 MX$93.1

235.60%

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

$888 $888

$207 MX$3,854

328.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K $28.2K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

439.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 $64.2

$43.45 MX$809

47.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.89 $45.89

$42.54 MX$792

7.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$72.8 MX$1,354

40.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$88.4 MX$1,645

25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 $1,567

$995 MX$18.5K

57.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 $1,275

$382 MX$7,116

233.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,585 $2,585

$1,674 MX$31.2K

54.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,081 $2,081

$1,081 MX$20.1K

92.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,590 $2,590

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-33.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,184 $2,184

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-64.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,427 $4,427

$832 MX$15.5K

431.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

11.45

-51.97%

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

Last update for Kaneohe, HI: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kaneohe, HI

$1.3K 46.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 70% $892

Groceries & Markets

Kaneohe, HI

$484 17.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 46.9% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaneohe, HI

$386 14%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 65.2% $251

Eating Out

Kaneohe, HI

$306 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 34.6% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Kaneohe, HI

$145 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 23.5% $34

Getting Around

Kaneohe, HI

$84 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 40.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Kaneohe, HI

$74 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 9.8% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,567 in Kaneohe, HI and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaneohe, HI pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $76 in Kaneohe, HI vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $484 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kaneohe, HI

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

19:56 7:56 PM

5 h ahead of Kaneohe, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,597

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kaneohe, HI Playa del Carmen 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Kaneohe, 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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Kaneohe, HI. 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 Kaneohe, HI is about 5.3 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: $1,567 in Kaneohe, HI versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 88% higher in Kaneohe, HI. 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 $44 versus $76 in Kaneohe, HI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,754 in Kaneohe, HI, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Kaneohe, 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 56% less than in Kaneohe, HI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.