Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,194 in Lihue, HI, rent and utilities included – about $23,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Lihue, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$3,194

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,194 in Lihue, HI versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Lihue, HI $3,194
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,556 in Lihue, HI versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Lihue, HI $5,556
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,919 in Lihue, HI versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Lihue, HI $7,919
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Lihue, HI is roughly 165% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lihue, HI is 135% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$10.92 MX$204

131.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 $111

$43.37 MX$810

154.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.03 $13.03

$11.78 MX$220

10.61%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$3.81 MX$71.2

71.92%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.28 MX$23.96

198.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.78 MX$14.63

215.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 $6.88

$3.17 MX$59.2

117.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$4.93 MX$92.2

60.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.41 MX$26.28

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$6.56 $6.56

$2.22 MX$41.43

195.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.42 MX$26.48

97.89%

Eggs

$10.19 $10.19

$2.52 MX$47.14

304.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.42 $15.42

$7.26 MX$136

112.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.17 $15.17

$7.70 MX$144

97.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.13 $20.13

$12.69 MX$237

58.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.78 MX$52.0

71.94%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.37 MX$25.56

143.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.59 $8.59

$2.55 MX$47.66

236.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$10.13 $10.13

$2.12 MX$39.67

377.83%

Potato (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$1.94 MX$36.22

160.31%

Onion (1kg)

$6.33 $6.33

$1.89 MX$35.24

234.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.03

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.17 $12.17

$4.30 MX$80.3

183.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 $15.81

$9.95 MX$186

58.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.58 MX$29.59

7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.67 MX$49.91

-36.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.55 MX$10.34

258.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 $52.9

$26.62 MX$497

98.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.88 $7.88

$4.97 MX$92.9

58.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$3.33 MX$62.2

-42.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.25 $15.25

$5.36 MX$100

184.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.44 MX$26.98

-9.72%

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

$20.7K MX$386.2K

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

$23.5K MX$438.5K

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

$84.8 MX$1,584

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

$30.21 $30.21

$23.41 MX$437

29.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 $60.6

$28.66 MX$535

111.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.9 $91.9

$57.1 MX$1,066

61.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 $9.01

$5.14 MX$96.0

75.29%

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

$1,200 $1,200

$207 MX$3,860

481.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

313.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$810

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$774

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,386

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,668

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,353 $2,353

$980 MX$18.3K

140.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 $2,000

$381 MX$7,116

425.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,245 $5,245

$1,708 MX$31.9K

207.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,812 $4,812

$1,075 MX$20.1K

347.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,987 $1,987

$735 MX$13.7K

170.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

11.45

-41.57%

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

Last update for Lihue, HI: October 25, 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

Lihue, HI

–

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Groceries & Markets

Lihue, HI

–

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Eating Out

Lihue, HI

–

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lihue, HI

–

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Lihue, HI

–

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Lihue, HI

–

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Getting Around

Lihue, HI

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,353 in Lihue, HI and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lihue, HI pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $111 in Lihue, HI vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $519 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lihue, HI

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:08 1:08 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

5 h ahead of Lihue, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lihue, HI Playa del Carmen 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lihue, 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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Lihue, 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 Lihue, HI is about 2.7 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: $2,353 in Lihue, HI versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,194 per month in Lihue, HI versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 165% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 50% less than in Lihue, HI. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,194 in Lihue, HI, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lihue, 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 62% less than in Lihue, HI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.