Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $4,747 in Maui, HI, rent and utilities included – about $42,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

229

Cost of Living Index in Maui, HI
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Maui, 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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Maui, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$4,747

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,747 per month in Maui, HI vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Maui, HI $4,747
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $6,648 per month in Maui, HI vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Maui, HI $6,648
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $8,550 per month in Maui, HI vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Maui, HI $8,550
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Maui, HI costs about 294% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Maui, HI sits 249% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$35.62 $35.62

$10.92 MX$205

226.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$43.37 MX$814

176.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.24 $15.24

$11.78 MX$221

29.37%

Cappuccino

$6.86 $6.86

$3.81 MX$71.5

80.05%

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

$3.07 $3.07

$1.28 MX$24.07

139.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$0.78 MX$14.70

243.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 $8.13

$3.17 MX$59.5

156.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.17 $9.17

$4.93 MX$92.7

86.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.41 MX$26.40

56.03%

White Bread (500g)

$8.86 $8.86

$2.22 MX$41.62

299.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.62 $8.62

$1.42 MX$26.61

507.04%

Eggs

$8.75 $8.75

$2.52 MX$47.36

247.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.46 $27.46

$7.26 MX$136

278.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.20 $15.20

$7.70 MX$144

97.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.21 $22.21

$12.69 MX$238

75.02%

Apples (1kg)

$10.05 $10.05

$2.78 MX$52.3

261.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.37 MX$25.68

62.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$2.55 MX$47.89

295.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.98 $7.98

$2.12 MX$39.86

276.42%

Potato (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$1.94 MX$36.39

250.00%

Onion (1kg)

$7.82 $7.82

$1.89 MX$35.41

313.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.86 $4.86

$1.15 MX$21.53

322.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.18 MX$22.13

200.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.92 $16.92

$4.30 MX$80.6

293.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.74 $19.74

$9.95 MX$187

98.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.58 MX$29.73

6.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 $7.81

$2.67 MX$50.1

192.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 $2.77

$0.55 MX$10.39

403.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 $100

$26.62 MX$500

276.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.92 $9.92

$4.97 MX$93.3

99.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 $0.95

$3.33 MX$62.5

-71.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.44 MX$27.11

-9.72%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

82.19%

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

$33.2K $33.2K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

41.58%

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

$395 $395

$84.8 MX$1,592

365.42%

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

$61.5 $61.5

$23.41 MX$439

162.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.3 $73.3

$28.66 MX$538

155.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 $29.55

$57.1 MX$1,071

-48.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$5.14 MX$96.5

191.44%

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

$1,674 $1,674

$207 MX$3,878

710.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K $17.0K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

333.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 $89.8

$43.35 MX$814

107.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 $54.5

$41.44 MX$778

31.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 $131

$74.2 MX$1,393

76.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$203 $203

$89.3 MX$1,676

127.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,283 $2,283

$980 MX$18.4K

133.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,611 $2,611

$381 MX$7,150

585.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,532 $4,532

$1,708 MX$32.1K

165.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,841 $3,841

$1,075 MX$20.2K

257.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.3K $14.3K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

263.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,220 $9,220

$6,158 MX$115.6K

49.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,712 $5,712

$735 MX$13.8K

677.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.52

11.45

-43.06%

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

Last update for Maui, HI: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Maui, HI

$2.6K 55%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 85.4% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Maui, HI

$711 15%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 64.1% $456

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maui, HI

$529 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 74.1% $393

Eating Out

Maui, HI

$495 10.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 59.1% $293

Clothing & Footwear

Maui, HI

$215 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 48.1% $104

Getting Around

Maui, HI

$126 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 59.9% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Maui, HI

$60 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 13.1% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,283 in Maui, HI 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 Maui, HI are about 7.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $120 in Maui, HI versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $711 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Maui, HI

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

12:48 12:48 PM

5 h ahead of Maui, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,452

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 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 October 31, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Maui, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $4,747 in Maui, HI, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 75% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,120 per month in Maui, HI 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $2,283 in Maui, HI.

Kindergarten costs $1,674 per month in Maui, HI and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 179% more in Maui, HI, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Maui, HI at $4,747. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maui, HI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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