Comparación del coste de vida entre Nuku'alofa y Playa del Carmen Comparación del coste de vida entre Nuku'alofa y Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $997 in Nuku'alofa versus $1,287 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,864 in Nuku'alofa versus $2,184 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,731 in Nuku'alofa versus $3,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Nuku'alofa costs roughly 23% less than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nuku'alofa 26% lower, Playa del Carmen 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.47 TOP 19.98

$11.94 MX$208

-29.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 TOP 144

$42.75 MX$744

43.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 TOP 24.20

$10.59 MX$184

-3.12%

Cappuccino

$2.83 TOP 6.68

$3.62 MX$63.0

-21.82%

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

$2.86 TOP 6.75

$1.47 MX$25.54

94.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 TOP 5.71

$0.94 MX$16.41

157.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 TOP 7.64

$3.09 MX$53.8

4.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.85 TOP 11.45

$4.46 MX$77.6

8.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 TOP 3.75

$1.43 MX$24.80

11.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 TOP 2.52

$1.88 MX$32.79

-43.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 TOP 4.91

$1.63 MX$28.34

27.61%

Eggs

$5.17 TOP 12.21

$2.64 MX$45.99

95.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 TOP 21.47

$8.21 MX$143

10.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.82 TOP 13.75

$8.29 MX$144

-29.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.76 TOP 18.30

$11.10 MX$193

-30.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 TOP 6.71

$2.65 MX$46.14

7.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 TOP 6.37

$1.50 MX$26.11

80.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 TOP 6.73

$1.99 MX$34.59

43.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 TOP 9.04

$2.08 MX$36.13

84.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.24 TOP 7.65

$1.79 MX$31.11

81.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 TOP 6.18

$2.18 MX$37.87

20.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 TOP 5.09

$1.08 MX$18.73

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 TOP 3.35

$1.04 MX$18.04

36.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 TOP 23.90

$3.97 MX$69.1

155.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.85 TOP 39.77

$10.20 MX$178

65.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 TOP 7.61

$1.73 MX$30.04

86.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 TOP 8.04

$2.50 MX$43.46

36.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 TOP 4.81

$0.52 MX$9.02

292.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.19 TOP 97.2

$26.97 MX$469

52.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 TOP 4.84

$3.14 MX$54.7

-34.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$41.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.69 TOP 98.4

$3.09 MX$53.7

1249.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 TOP 3.38

$1.27 MX$22.16

12.60%

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

$5,728 TOP 13.5K

$30.9K MX$537.3K

-81.45%

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

$8,199 TOP 19.4K

$23.3K MX$405.7K

-64.83%

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

$190 TOP 448

$82.0 MX$1,427

131.31%

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

$21.90 TOP 51.7

$22.45 MX$391

-2.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$123 TOP 289

$29.66 MX$516

313.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.25 TOP 73.7

$51.9 MX$903

-39.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.47 TOP 97.9

$18.67 MX$325

122.12%

Cinema Ticket

$42.05 TOP 99.2

$4.97 MX$86.5

746.08%

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

$157 TOP 370

$198 MX$3,442

-20.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$249 TOP 588

$5,273 MX$91.7K

-95.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.56 TOP 34.36

$36.34 MX$632

-59.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.82 TOP 42.05

$40.05 MX$697

-55.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.37 TOP 48.08

$79.9 MX$1,390

-74.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.55 TOP 67.4

$88.9 MX$1,547

-67.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$629 TOP 1,486

$963 MX$16.8K

-34.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 MX$8,086

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 TOP 1,946

$1,596 MX$27.8K

-48.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 TOP 1,289

$1,209 MX$21.0K

-54.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$416 TOP 982

$3,942 MX$68.6K

-89.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$252 TOP 595

$6,448 MX$112.2K

-96.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$677 TOP 1,597

$720 MX$12.5K

-6.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

Los datos de CityCost se basan en IA y aportaciones de usuarios. Puede haber pequeñas variaciones.

Última actualización para Nuku'alofa: April 26, 2026

Última actualización para Playa del Carmen: April 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $629 in Nuku'alofa and $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 6% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nuku'alofa vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $251 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Comparación de velocidades medias de internet por ciudad (actualizado April 2026)

El gráfico resalta el umbral de precisión para velocidades de internet móvil y fija, actualizado trimestralmente.

Índice del coste de vida para nómadas digitales

Nuku'alofa vs Playa del Carmen: Coste de vida - preguntas frecuentes

Nuku'alofa and Playa del Carmen differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($997 vs $1,287 including rent). Nuku'alofa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Playa del Carmen earns 6% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $629 in Nuku'alofa versus $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nuku'alofa – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $997 per month in Nuku'alofa versus $1,287 in Playa del Carmen – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $997 in Nuku'alofa versus $1,287 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nuku'alofa but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Nuku'alofa 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.

Safety-wise, Nuku'alofa and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nuku'alofa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.