Cost of Living Comparison Between Nuku'alofa and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Nuku'alofa and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Nuku'alofa is 30.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 18.3% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Nuku'alofa is 17.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 11.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nuku'alofa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.37 TOP 19.83
$11.85 MX$211
-29.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.7 TOP 149
$42.16 MX$750
48.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.42 TOP 24.70
$10.75 MX$191
-3.07%
Cappuccino
$2.90 TOP 6.87
$3.47 MX$61.8
-16.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 TOP 6.82
$1.45 MX$25.85
98.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 TOP 5.95
$0.90 MX$16.06
178.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.38 TOP 8.01
$3.05 MX$54.3
10.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.10 TOP 12.08
$4.42 MX$78.6
15.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nuku'alofa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 TOP 3.63
$1.37 MX$24.36
11.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 TOP 2.44
$1.87 MX$33.31
-44.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.09 TOP 4.96
$1.54 MX$27.46
35.71%
Eggs
$5.21 TOP 12.36
$2.50 MX$44.53
108.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.14 TOP 21.66
$8.61 MX$153
6.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.91 TOP 14.01
$8.63 MX$154
-31.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.70 TOP 18.25
$11.02 MX$196
-30.13%
Apples (1kg)
$2.69 TOP 6.38
$2.75 MX$48.91
-2.18%
Banana (1kg)
$2.78 TOP 6.59
$1.43 MX$25.41
94.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.88 TOP 6.83
$1.87 MX$33.32
54.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 TOP 8.93
$2.17 MX$38.56
73.73%
Potato (1kg)
$3.15 TOP 7.47
$1.88 MX$33.50
67.55%
Onion (1kg)
$2.70 TOP 6.41
$2.25 MX$39.96
20.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.20 TOP 5.21
$1.07 MX$18.99
105.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 TOP 3.31
$1.07 MX$19.10
30.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.26 TOP 24.32
$4.15 MX$73.9
147.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.98 TOP 40.23
$10.34 MX$184
64.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.10 TOP 7.35
$1.68 MX$29.87
84.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.25 TOP 7.71
$2.48 MX$44.19
31.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Nuku'alofa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.03 TOP 4.82
$0.55 MX$9.87
269.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.87 TOP 96.9
$26.53 MX$472
54.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.04 TOP 4.83
$3.22 MX$57.2
-36.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.48 MX$44.15
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$42.27 TOP 100
$3.11 MX$55.3
1259.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 TOP 3.40
$1.26 MX$22.34
13.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$5,708 TOP 13.5K
$30.7K MX$545.4K
-81.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$8,294 TOP 19.7K
$24.0K MX$427.6K
-65.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nuku'alofa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$184 TOP 435
$82.5 MX$1,467
122.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.47 TOP 53.2
$22.29 MX$396
0.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$126 TOP 298
$30.02 MX$534
319.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nuku'alofa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.54 TOP 74.7
$51.4 MX$915
-38.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$40.87 TOP 96.9
$18.29 MX$325
123.46%
Cinema Ticket
$41.37 TOP 98.0
$4.98 MX$88.7
730.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nuku'alofa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$158 TOP 374
$200 MX$3,558
-21.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$251 TOP 594
$5,304 MX$94.4K
-95.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nuku'alofa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$14.81 TOP 35.10
$35.71 MX$635
-58.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.98 TOP 42.61
$39.56 MX$704
-54.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$20.69 TOP 49.04
$80.6 MX$1,433
-74.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$29.01 TOP 68.8
$88.3 MX$1,571
-67.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nuku'alofa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$614 TOP 1,455
$969 MX$17.2K
-36.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$482 MX$8,579
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$840 TOP 1,991
$1,595 MX$28.4K
-47.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$558 TOP 1,323
$1,184 MX$21.1K
-52.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$418 TOP 991
$4,050 MX$72.1K
-89.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$254 TOP 601
$6,522 MX$116.0K
-96.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nuku'alofa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$685 TOP 1,625
$756 MX$13.5K
-9.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
11.42
-

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

Last update for Nuku'alofa: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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